LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

■^^^ 

Shelf ..S&B 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



SUCCESS m FARMING. 



A SERIES OF 



PRACTICAL TALKS 



WITH FARMERS, 



^5 



BY / 

WALDO F, BROWN. 



JIU.:^. ih/ 



7/ 

PUBLISHED BY - .^ ^ 

R. S. THOMPSON, 
SPRINGFIELD, O. 

j/ 5 ^ '/ 



copvRionx, 1881, uy u. s. Thompson. 






DEDICATION. 

To my friend, S. H. Ellis, who is not only a success- 
ful farmer, but whose words and influence have stimu- 
lated thousands of farmers in their efforts to achieve 
true success, this book is respectfully dedicated. 



PUBLISIIEE'S PREFACE. 

It has given me pleasure *to be able to present this 
book to the Agriculturists of this countr3^ I have seen 
the great need of some jn-actieal book suited to practi- 
cal farmers in our central and western states. 

The majority of the agricultural books that have here- 
tofore been published, have been designed for the few 
who already have made the business a matter of scien- 
tific study, rather than for the man}^ who have been 
deprived of these advantages. 

In looking aboiit for a man who should write this 
book, which I intended should be the book for the 
people, I could think of no person more suited for the 
task than my friend and co-laborer, Waldo F. Brown. 

He has had a long, practical experience on the farm. 
Unaided by rich friends or college preparation, he has 
had to fight his own way through life. He has met the 
difficulties that beset the farmer, and has learned by ex- 
perience just what are the needs of his brother farmers 
and can talk to them in their own way. 

Probably of all the agricultural writers of the country 
there are none who have a higher reputation for plain, 
practical writing, than Mr. Brown. 

The manuscript of the book I have carefully read, and 
in places have added as foot notes, points I thought had 
been omitted, or on which I disagreed. I send the book 
out to the world, hoping that it may lead man}'' of our 
people to not only greater success in farming, but also 
to greater success in living. 

E. S. Thompson, Publisher. 



IIS^TRODUCTIOK. 

For nine years I have been constantly before the 
|)ublic as a writer, having in that time Avritten more than 
a thousand articles for the Agricultural Press. The 
kind reception which luxs been given to these articles, 
whether appearing over my own name or any of those 
wit4i which I have at times concealed my identity, such 
as "Waldo,'' "Odlaw," "Agricola," "Solomon Smith,"' 
*' Squire Bung," &c., has led me to believe that some of 
my thoughts and experiences, in more systematic order 
and in a form better suited for preservation, would be 
welcomed by many. 

During seven years past I have been much in the field 
as an agricultural lecturer at fairs and farmers' picnics, 
and have been gratified by learning from many of those 
I met, that my articles have often proved helpful to them 
in overcoming the difficulties that beset the farmers and 
aiding them to greater success in the management of 
their farms. All my mature life having been spent 
upon the farm, and believing as I do that the life of a 
farmer gives full scope for the liest powers of the best 
men, I have no higher ambition and ask no greater 
reward, than to l»e able to help my co-laborers to attain 
*' Success in Farming." 

Waldo F. Bijown, 

East View Farm, 

Oxford, Ohio. 



COyTE:N^TS. 

CHAP. PAGE. 

What Constitutes Success on the Farm i 9 

Selection of the Farm ii 12 

Management m 17 

Farm Buildings iv 22 

Fencing ; v 32 

Drainage vi 42 

Fertilization vri 54 

Home-made Manures vii 55 

Green Manuring vii 59 

Commercial Manures vii 62 

Pulverization vii 67 

Rotation of Crops vii 70 

My Own Experience vii 79 

Hired Help viii 82 

Farm Implements ix 87 

Wheat X 93 

Corn XI 110 

Grasses xii 121 

Clover XIII 128 

Potatoes XIV 139 

Sweet Potatoes xiv 144 

Rye on the Farm xv 149 

Special Crops xvi 152 

Fruit .on the Farm xvii 161 

The Vegetable Garden xnn 169 

Stock on the Farm xix 176 

Hogs on the Farm xix 183 

Dairying xix 197 

Sheep Farming xix 205 

Poultry for Profit xix 218 

Timber Growing xx 223 

Country Homos xxi 229 

Woman's Work on the Farm xxi 253 



SUCCESS IN FARMING. 



CHAPTER I. 



WHAT CONSTITUTES SUCCESS UPON THE 
FARM. 

That Peter Poverty is a miserable failure as a farmer, 
requires no argument to show, for a glance reveals it. 
There is a general appearance of "run-down-ness" about 
his premises. His buildings, stock and crops, show 
that the expressive Yankee adjective "shiftless" fits 
him. Let us be thankful that he is not as "numerous" 
as formerly, and that his children are not likely to follow 
his calling. We will pass him by after mentioning his 
greatest value. He is a splendid example of " how not 
to do it;' 

Let me next introduce you to Sam Skinsoil. He is an 
enterprising man with a strong head of steam, and as 
much business to the square inch as a railroad contrac- 
tor. He has made money, too, but he has taken the 
cream oft' from a half score of farms during a third of a 
century. His plan has ):>een to rent a farm for two or 
three years, plow every available foot of it, get all he 



10 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

could from the soil and return nothing. Or he would 
buy a farm, cut off all the timber, reduce its fertility^ 
and then sell and move on. He can be tracked as easily 
as a hurricane. He, likewise, is not a success, and we 
can pass on. 

William Wealthy is the next neighbor. He has six 
hundred acres of land, all in a high state of cultivation, 
his stock is well bred and well fed, his land productive, 
and buildings commodious. This begins to look like 
success, but before j'ou pronounce it such let me give 
you his history : 

He is sevent}' years old, and although 3-ou can see at 
a glance that there is no necessity for it, he works harder 
than an}' day laborer in his emplo}^ Money making 
has become a passion with him. He has not been a hun- 
dred miles away in twenty 3'ears. His home is destitute 
of books, and he takes but one paper and that a violent 
partizan sheet, the organ of his part}^ Agricultural 
books and papers he despises. A flower is to him a 
weed, and he is like Holland's " Old Daniel Gray," who 
" could see naught but vanity in beauty, and only weak- 
ness in a fond caress." 

He has become merely an automaton, good only for the 
money he can make. His wife is working as hard as 
himself, and has long since given up trying to cultivate 
flowers, although there was a time when she loved and 
admired them. They board the farm hands because it 
is cheaper (?) than to hire men who board themselves. 
If called upon to write his epitaph, and I wished to tell 
the truth, it would be something like this: 

" Here lies a man wlio toiled from morn till eve that he might 
make iiione}', with which to 1)uy more land, on which he might 
work to make more money to buy more land. As his acres 
broadened his mind and soul narrowed, and the world was none 
the better for his having lived." 



WHAT COXSTITUTES SUCCESS UPON THE FAKM. 11 

I once heard an impressive sermon on tlie subject of 
Lot pitcliing his tent towards Sodom. The farmer who 
has no higher idea of life than to make mone^^ may not 
like Lot loose his property, but he M'ill loose all that 
makes life valuable. 

I do not recommend idleness ; the farmer must be a 
worker; his crops must be good, and the fertility of the 
farm maintained or increased. He must be a businesf* 
man, able to give a reason for what he does ; he must 
read and think and by intelligent forethought make 
himself master of his farm and business and not become 
its slave. He should also be public spirited and ready 
to do his part in advancing the welfare of the community. 

To make a home for the family where they may be 
happy and contented ; to rear the children to industry 
and yet teach them that mind and soul, not dollars and 
cents, give worth to man, and to so manage the farm 
that it shall supply all their wants constitutes " success 
in farming." 



CHAPTER II. 



SELECTION OF THE FARM. 

There are many important matters to be considered 
in the selection of the farm which is to furnish its owner 
a livelihood and his family a home. 

First of all the farm must be suited to his means. 
Nothing more cramps and hinders a farmer than lack of 
capital or a debt hanging over him. My advice would 
be to buy a smaller farm which, when paid for, would 
leave some cash working capital, rather than a larger 
one which involves the bu^'er heavily in debt. 

The farmer who at the close of the j'car, after having 
■sold his crops has cash on hand to meet the expenses 
of the coming year, works at an immense advantage over 
the man who must use this mone}' in meeting debts and 
start empty handed on another year's labor. 

I do not mean to say that a farmer is never, under any 
circumstances, justified in going into debt, but what I 
do say is that a farmer who can pay for a farm of one 
hundred acres and have money enough left to stock and 
operate it, is unwise to purchase a two hundred acre 
farm and have for years a debt hanging over him. 

More farmers to-day are being made dissatisfied with 
their calling, and hindered in their efforts at advance- 
ment by the burden of debt, than by all other causes 
combined. 

SIZE OF THE FARM. 

Both large and small farms have their advantages, — 
and which is more desirable in any particular case must 



SELECTIOJ^ OF THE FARM. 13 

be determined by two things: — the farmer's means, and 
his business capacity. 

A large farm will justify the purchase of more labor- 
saving machiner}', and enable the farmer to keep this 
machinery more fully engaged, more help can be per- 
manently employed and is thus at command when 
needed in an emergenc}'. 

A large farm furnishes larger scope for business man- 
agement and executive ability. The farmer is less de- 
pendent for his profits on his individual labor and more 
on his capacity to wisely direct the labor of others. The 
successful manager of a large farm really becomes the 
executive head of a business establishment. 

A large farm affords greater facilities for diversified 
farming; for maintaining the fertility of the soil by ro- 
tation of crops and green manuring, and is adapted to 
stock raising, which is less laborious than where a large 
proportion of the income must be derived from the cul- 
tivation of the soil. 

On a large farm the amount of fencing in proportion 
to the number of acres can be greatly reduced as larger 
fields can be used, and thus one heavy item of invest- 
ment and continued expense be lessened. 

The man on a small farm can largely dispense with 
hired labor, and thus avoid the trouble connected with 
managing the labor of others. 

His expenses being comparatively small, his risk of 
loss from failure of crops or other causes is also smaller. 

The number of acres being small, and every part of it 
being directly under his own eye, he can more readily 
secure thorough cultivation — which means larger yield 
per acre and less cost per bushel. 

ADAPTATION TO PURPOSE DESIRED. 

The farm should be adapted to that particular branch 



14 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

of agriculture with which the farmer is most familiar, 
xind which he intends to follow — but as this will be dis- 
cussed in another chapter I will not consider it further 
here. 

CONDITION OF SOIL. 

Although a rich and productive soil is always desira- 
ble, yet there are circumstances under which a run-down 
farm may profitably be purchased. 

In considering this matter, the first thing to be looked 
at is the cause of tne want of fertility. If the farm is a 
rolling one and the lack arises from washing ; or if the 
soil is thin and leachy, there are no circumstances which 
would justify a man in making the purchase. 

There are however many run-down farms the fertility 
of which can be restored and which can be bought at so 
low a price that they will prove a better investment 
than a fertile farm at the price at which it can be 
obtained. 

If the soil was originally strong and retentive, espec- 
ially if it were a heavy clay, and the fertility has been 
exhausted simply by excessive cropping without rotation 
or manuring, a judicious system of rotation, green ma- 
nures, the careful saving and applying of all home fer- 
tilizers with perhaps a reasonable expenditure in com- 
mercial fertilizers, will fully restore its fertility. 

Of course due caution should be used in so important 
a matter, but if one is sure that the fertility of the soil 
can be fully restored, he can often obtain a good farm 
in this manner at less cost, and will moreover be entitled 
to be regarded as a public benefactor. 

HEALTHFULNESS. 

A healthy location is important. Many a farmer, 
attracted by a fertile soil and low price, has settled on 
the border of a swamp or in some region infected with 



SKI.KCTION OF THE FAKM. 15 

malaria, and has had all the energy shaken out of him 
bv chills and fever, or his profits eaten up b}' doctor's 
bills and quinine. 

WATER. 

Water supply both for family and stock should be 
carefully considered. The supply should be wholesome, 
unfailing and convenient. There are large districts 
of level lands in many of our States, where in a wet 
season the wells fill to the surface, and the water becomes 
contaminated and unwholesome, while in a dry season 
they fail entirel}'. Careful inquiry on this matter should 
be made not only of the man from whom j^ou expect to 
purchase, but also from disinterested parties well ac- 
quainted with the locality. 

ROADS AND CONVENIENCES TO MARKET 

Are important considerations, and on them both the 
comfort and profit of the farmer largely depend. 

The farmer on a good free pike, within two or three 
miles of a railroad station, can with a good team take to 
market from two hundred to three hundred bushels of 
grain in a day. If ten miles away, on a hilly mud road 
it is often a hard day's work to market forty bushels. 
There will not be a day in the j^ear in which the former 
cannot go comfortably to postoflice or market, while the 
latter will, in open winters, be mud-bound for weeks or 
months. 

SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES. 

Convenience of the farm to these should also be con- 
sidered, for if distant and difficult to reach, the wife and 
children will often be deprived of privileges which are 
of inestimable value. 

COMMUNITY. 

The character of the community should be carefully 
considered before a man decides to become a member of 



16 SUCCESS IN FAUMIKG. 

it. No consideration should induce him to settle in a 
neighborhood where the Sabbath was disregarded or 
the inhabitants known to be lawless and immoraL 
There should al?o be a certain amount of public spirit 
among the people so that highways will be kept in re- 
pair and other measures for the public good supported. 
All these considerations and others which may occur 
to the reader, should be borne in mind in the " selection, 
of the farm." 



CHAPTER III. 



MANAGEMENT. 

Having bought the farm, next comes the question of 
management; and here is where many fail. It does not 
necessarily follow because your neighbor has made mon- 
ey from some specialty in farming that you, on a differ- 
ent farm, can successfully imitate him. 

My own neighborhood will illustrate this question of 
adaptation of crops or stock to the farm. One mile east 
of me there is a tier of farms mainly rich bottom land. 
The soil on these produces crops of corn with a rotation 
which once in four or five years brings them into clover. 
The farmers who have patiently followed producing hogs 
and corn on these farms have grown rich, and at the 
same time kept their lands fertile. On either side of 
these is a tier of broken farms. The drainage from the 
farms still further back has cut channels to the main 
stream until at intervals varying from thirty to eighty 
rods, are deep ravines coming down through the^e farms. 
This makes them liable to wash, for the land has not 
only a general slope to the main stream, but a lateral 
slope towards these ravines. My farm is in the next 
tier, and is back far enough so as not to be cut by the 
ravines and is generally IcA^el although with fall enough 
to drain it. A few miles west of where I live, is a strip 
of rich black land which was originally swamp but 
which has been thoroughly drained and improved. All 
these farms call for different management, and yet many 
of the farmers Jiave not found it out, but because farmer 



18 SUCCESS IX FARMING. 

A on the bottom has made money by corn and hogs, 
farmer B on the farm adjoining has run his ridges in 
corn until he lias soil scattered all the way to the Gulf 
of Mexico. 

These bottom farms are the place for hogs and Short- 
Horn cattle. The farms adjoining them should be 
stocked with sheep or run as dairy farms with small 
cattle like the Jerseys. The next tier or two giA^es us 
our best wheat land, and are well adapted to mixed 
farming, as corn, grass and potatoes do well on them. 
Over in the drained swamps is the profitable barley 
land, and as barley land is also good corn land, here 
again mixed farming is best. 

These black lands, as well as the bottomswill grow 
fiiie Early Rose or other early varieties of potatoes ; but 
Peachblo\YS and other late maturing varieties and sweet 
potatoes are often a failure on them, while on a stiff cold 
clay the Peachblow and sweet potato produce — with a 
little manure — good crops of fine quality. We have also 
land that produces with certainty good crops of wheat 
when plowed shallow or prepared by cultivating and 
pulverizing three inches of the surface without breaking 
but on which it often fails when deeply plowed. 

Here and there are farms with a warm soil well suited 
Ko broom corn growing, and because their owners make 
money on the crop, some one with a cold stiff clay at- 
tempts to grow it, and with more than double labor pro- 
duces a half crop of an inferior article. 

I have spoken of these farms to illustrate an impor- 
tant truth, namely, that success in farming depends 
largely on intelligence in management, and in adapting 
our products to the soil and circumstances surrounding 
us. 

Numbers of farmers fail because they do not put 



MANAGEMENT. 19 

thought into their business; they have no settled policj 
and are not at all certain that the plan they are follow- 
ing — if indeed they can be said to have a plan — is the 
best for them. As Peter exhorts Christians to be always 
ready to give "a reason for the hope in them," so should 
every farmer be ready to give a reason for the plan ho 
is following. 

There is nothing so essential on the farm as brains 
:p.nd good judgment, and the farmer may cultivate and 
develop these as well as corn or wheat. 

Another very important thing in farm management is 
to determine how much of the land to plow. There are 
localities where the plow is the worst enemy of the farm- 
er. By this I mean that many farmers keep themselves 
and their lands poor by excessive cropping. The farm- 
er should keep-ever before him the fact that it is bush- 
els not acres that gives the profit. 

No man can by farming make anything above a mere 
living who grows only average crops. Ohio is a good 
agricultural State, one of the best in the Union, and the 
crop statistics for the last quarter of a century show, 
of the two great staples, wheat and corn, an average per 
acre, of about 12 bushels of the former and 3.3 of 
the latter. Remember, these are the averages, and of 
course there are thousands of farmers that fall below 
this. Is it any wonder that many farmers are poor and 
in debt growing such crops ? 

In my judgment, there is no one thing that has con- 
tributed so much to this as the keeping of too large a 
proportion of the land under the plow, and the lack of 
an intelligent rotation. The difference in the cost of a 
bushel of wheat grown on a field averaging ten, and one 
averaging thirty bushels per acre is surprising, and the 
same general rule holds good with other crops. 



20 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

There are thousands of farmers owning farms varying 
in size from 100 to 150 acres who are poor and 
likely to remain so just because they keep two teams 
and plow sixty or eighty acres a year and do not grow 
any more grain than they could with one team and half 
as much land under the plow. The difference in the 
profits of two farmers, one of whom cultivates what one 
team can do, and the other on a similar farm of the same 
size who keeps two teams, will often be greatly in favor 
of the former. Let us suppose that two farmers try 
these respective plans for ten years. Number one, who 
keeps but one team saves three hundred dollars at the 
start in horses and harness. He would require in the 
ten years, extra plows, horse-shoeing and harness repair- 
ing, one hundred dollars more. I think one dollar a 
week as cheap as a work-horse can be kept, even on a 
farm, and this would make $104 per year, or $1,040 for 
ten years. Then there must be a hired hand eight 
months in the year to drive the team, and he, at $15 a 
month, will cost $120 per annum more, or $1,200 for the 
ten years. It is worth $2 per week to board a hand, or, 
say, $70 for the eight months, making $700 for the ten 
years. Bringing all these items together, we have 
$3,340; but supposing the old horses and harness are 
worth $100, we will call it $3,240 that the farmer with 
two teams has expended more than the other. 

But, says some critic, has he not had a fair return for 
this expenditure? 

In most cases, no. 

The land left uuplowed by the farmer with the one 
team was not unproductive, but was yielding crops of 
butter, meat, wool, or other animal products, and at the 
same time storing up fertility for future crops of grain; 
and when again plowed, would give a largely increased 



MANAGEMENT, 21 

yield per acre over the fields which had been continuously 
cropped. The result would be that with this manage- 
ment the farm with the one team would sell more in ten 
years than the other. 

Here are two systems contrasted. All that the farmer 
has to show for his $3,240 and the labor and worry con- 
nected with its expenditure, is an exhausted soil. I 
should expect ten years of the one management to result 
in a discouraged farmer, whose sons would choose some 
other calling in life; whose farm and home would pre- 
sent a thriftless and cheerless appearance, and who him- 
self would be complaining that farming don't pay, and 
be talking of selling and "going west." 

With the other management I should look confidently 
for a happy and contented farmer, on a fertile and thrif- 
ty farm, with a bright and attractive home, and a fami- 
ly attached to the calling. 

Success in farming can only be attained where there 
is a plan carefully chosen, well arranged and faithfully 
pursued. 



CHAPTER lY. 



FARM BUILDINGS. 

Much of the comfort of the farmer and his family, and 
also of the stock, depends on the buildings found on the 
farm ; and their arrangement and location is important, 
both as regards appearances and economy of time and 
labor. 

Perhaps the first consideration should be, to have 
them adapted to the farm, its productions, and the means 
of the farmer. I would alwaj's advise the farmer to 
build a small, comfortable house or barn, which he could 
pay for, rather than to run in debt for large and expen- 
sive buildings. 

Occasionally, a farmer with a small and unproductive 
farm will put up buildings out of proportion in size and 
cost to the farm ; or a man with a large body of land 
will put up one immense barn instead of two or three 
smaller ones. This I do not think wise for several rea- 
sons: 1st. It involves muclt loss of time in drawing in 
the crops. If you are getting in a field of hay or grain 
with rain threatening, it makes a great difference 
whether 3'ou have a hundred rods or a mile to go. 2nd. 
It makes extra work also in drawing out manure, for 
this will naturally be made at the barn. 3rd. In case 
of fire the loss will be much greater both on building 
-and contents. And lastly, when the farmer dies, and 
the property, according to our excellent American laws 
is to be divided among the children, it makes a fair 
division diflTicult. 



FARM BUILDINGS. 23 

The finest barn I ever saw was built by a man owning 
twelve hundred acres of land, and was burned without 
insurance since I visited it in 1876. Although I ad- 
mired this barn exceedingly, these objections occurred 
to me. While I would recommend the best material, 
and that buildings should be constructed with reference 
to durability, I have seen so much of the evil of debt in 
cramping the farmer and causing self denial to himself 
and family that I would recommend temporary buildings 
for his stock and crops rather than to see him burdened 
with debt for expensive ones. 

THE BARN. 

A ver}' cheap barn, and one that will last for many 
years, can be made by setting locust posts in the ground 
for the outer walls and spiking or bolting the nail ties 
to them. The inside rows of posts can stand on stones 
and there need not be a mortise or tennon about the 
building. A barn thirtj^ feet wide and of any desired 
length may be put up in this way, and as everj' board 
and nail tie in it is a brace, it will be firm and substan- 
tial. In building in this manner I would always use 
hard wood for the frame. I would not recommend a 
board roof under any circumstances, as I have never 
seen one that gave satisfaction.* 

The farmer who has the means should put up no cheap 
temporary buildings, but the fact that there are many 
who dread a burden of debt and badly need barn room 
leads me to speak of this method. 

In building a barn one should take plenty of time to 
Btudy his plan, and should make every possible arrange- 



*In some of our timber regions, boards are so much cheaper 
than shingles, that many will continue to use them. My west- 
ern experience has convinced me that a board roof made of 
good boards, well sapped, seasoned, and properly put on, will 
last many years and give excellent satisfaction. r. s. t. 



24 SUCCESS IN B^ARMING. 

ment for saving steps and labor. During a large part 
of the year the farmer attends to his stock when wearied 
by field work, and every step saved is important. I be- 
lieve it is easy to so arrange a barn that fifteen minute's 
time can be saved each day, and in addition the labor 
lightened; and this will pay for quite an amount of 
planning. 

Where a barn is built for cattle feeding, the most 
convenient arrangement I have ever seen is to have 
your stables enough lower than the barn floor so 
that the cattle can eat their hay and fodder directly 
from the floor. This saves the expense of mangers, and 
also saves room, for the stables can be made narrower 
by the space the manger would occupy. It makes the 
lofts easier of access also as the upper floors can be 
dropped to correspond with the stable floors; that is, if 
your cattle stand three feet below the level of the barn 
floor, the loft floors need be but four feet above instead 
of seven as would be necessary if the cattle stood on a 
level with the floor. The stables can be arranged on 
three sides of the floor, and if the barn is thirty feet 
wide and the floor twenty, there will be ample room for 
nineteen head of cattle: seven on each side and five at 
the end, and it will be the work of a moment to give hay 
or fodder to all of them. 

Another thing which I have found very convenient is 
to so arrange the wagon-shed if connected with the barn 
that as you drive through it the barn floor will be just 
on a level with the bottom of the bed. This makes it 
verj' convenient in loading or unloading barrels, or sacks 
of grain, and where corn which has been cut up is hauled 
in to be husked in the barn, it will save one hand in 
unloading, as no one will be needed on the wagon to 
hand it down. 



FAKM BUILWNGS. 25 

The bins for meal and bran, and the cribs for corn 
should be arranged with reference to savinaf steps, and 
every detail should be made a matter of study. 

There is a point in which many farmers could make 
an improvement on the approaches to the barn, and that 
is by so arranging their fences that they need not pass 
through the barn-yard to enter the barn. Whei'e this 
must be done it is almost impossible to do the work 
without getting the boots smeared with manure, to the 
great injury of the boots and to the great detriment of 
the good wife's carpet and floors, and the farmer is likely 
to advertise his business by an unsavory odor. It is so 
easy to arrange the barn-yard so that the barn can be 
entered without passing through it that I wonder every 
farmer does not do so. Even the barn-yard into which 
the cows are turned may be made a few feet from the 
stable door so as to leave a passage which can easily be 
kept clean, for if the cows can get to the stable door 
they are sure to stand there and drop their manure and 
in a wet time tramp it into mud. Instead of having the 
barn form the fence for one side of the barn-yard, set 
your fence ten feet from it, have this passage wa}' raised 
above the level of the barn-yard and well graveled, and 
you will have no difficulty in keeping it clean and the 
stock can easily be turned across it into the barn-yard. 

The location of the barn is a matter of considerable 
importance. It should not be so near the house as to 
be offensive, nor so far as to make it laborious to travel 
back and forth. It is a moderate estimate that a farmer 
and his help will make an average of ten trips a day 
from house to barn, and if the latter is fifty yards farther 
away than necessary it involves something more than 
one hundred miles unnecessary travel each 3'ear. A 
barn can be located within fifty yards of a house and so 



26 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

managed as. to offend neither eye or nose. Another im- 
portant thing is that a well drained spot if possible be 
chosen for the barn. I do not mean that it should be 
built, as I have often seen, on a steep hillside sloping to 
a brook, so that every rain carries the soluble part of 
the manure away; but on the other hand, it should not 
be on low ground into which water from adjoining fields 
can flow, and the barn-yard especially should be so ar- 
ranged that the water could neither flow into nor out 
of it. 

HOG HOUSES, 

One or more pig pens or hog houses are indispensable 
on farms where swine are kept; they are needed to con- 
fine breeding animals, and to shut up young pigs at 
weaning time. I have made quite a study of hog-houses, 
having built six in the last twenty years, and I have 
never seen a plan which, for convenience and economy, 
was better than mine. I build eight feet wide, and 
twelve, fourteen or sixteen long — one of the latter size 
being large enough to fatten ten hogs weighing three 
hundred pounds each, and the smaller one makes com- 
fortable quarters for two sows with litters. For a foun- 
dation, locust posts or large boulders may be used, or 
pillars of stone, or brick masonry. Two sills, eight feet 
long and six by eight inches square, are placed on the 
foundation at the ends, and from one of these to the 
other place joists two by ten inches, and the length your 
house is to be. Bridge your joists so that the weight will 
come on all alike, and then lay the floor of inch lumber, 
double, so as to have no cracks go through. I have 
tried two-inch stuff for this, afld find that it does not 
last any better, and costs more, as the lining of the floor 
may be of cheap lumber, and even if strips four inches 
wide are used at the cracks, it will answer. After the 



FARM BUILDINGS. 



27 



floor is laid, cut your corner-posts of four by four stud- 
ding — hard wood is best — and place them at the cor- 
ners. As the roof is only to slope one way, the rear 
posts need only be four feet high, and the front ones 
seven, unlesss you want a loft over head, in which case 
the rear posts should be eight feet high, and the front 
ones eleven. Spike a two by two inch studding on the 
top of jour posts at front and rear, for a plate; fit in 
another for a nail-tie in the front, or two in front and 
one at the rear, if you want a loft, and let the rear tie 
and the upper front one be the right hight for the upper 




HOG-HOUSE. 

floor. You will need one or two nail-ties at each end, 
according to the hight, and your first pair of rafters must 
Btand flush with the sills and nail-ties. Board it up 
and down, and as the front and rear boards will be 
nailed at the bottom to a joist, and the end boards to the 
sills at the bottom and the rafters at the top, you will 
find your building firm and substantial when finished, 
although there is not a mortise or a tenon about it. 
Two hands can complete such a building in less than 
two days' work, and one thousand feet of lumber and a 



28 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

thousand shingles will be about a fair estimate for a 
building of this size. It will require a little more lum- 
ber if it is made high enough for a loft, but this will 
give storage for a hundred bushels of corn. 

No hog-house is complete without a floored yard of 
equal size attached to it. The floor of the yard should 
be a foot or more lower than that of the pen, and may 
be of cheap lumber, or stone. It is impossible to keep 
hogs confined on an earth floor without having a por- 
ridge hole, breeding foul odors ; but with a floor, and a 
supply of any good absorbent, such as chaff", cornstalks, 
straw, or sawdust, the pen can be kept comparatively 
sweet, and a large amount of valuable manure saved. 

It is well to have a movable partition to put in the 
pens when they are used for brood sows. The boards 
should be made to slip between pieces nailed \ip and 
down just far enough apart to receive them, and then 
fastened down with a pin or key. Where sows are to be 
kept at farrowing time, there should be no cracks in the 
partitions. A rack should be made up next to the raf- 
ters to receive these partition boards when not in use. 
In pens used for breeding sows, it is a good plan to nail 
a two by four studding six inches above the floor, to 
prevent the mother from overlajdng her pigs. This 
should be nailed so that the four inches would project 
into the pen. 

OTHER OUTBUILDINGS. 

I have but two suggestions about the privy, one of 
which is, that it should be protected from observation by 
vines or trees; and the other, that it should never have 
a vault under it. A shallow box, raised high enough so 
that it can never be flooded by surface water, and into 
which dry earth is thrown often enough to disinfect it, 
will not only prevent danger of contaminating the well, 



FAKM BUILDINGS. 29 

tut abate a nuisance, and furnish several dollars' worth 
of excellent fertilizer each year. No better disinfectant 
was ever found than dry earth; and a privy, by its use, 
may be kept perfectly free from odor. 

Every farm should have a poultry-house, and the ma- 
nure from two dozen fowls will pay for it in a few years, 
if it is built economically. It makes little difference in 
what shape it is built; but there should be a tight floor 
under the roosts, and it will be a saving of space if this 
floor slopes so that the manure will roll down on to a 
narrow floor, or into a box, where it can be easily taken 
up. The space under this floor can be used for nest 
boxes. The poultry-house should face the south, and on 
this side have a large window; but the glass must be 
protected with a wire screen, or strips of lath, as the 
hens will break them. Where large, heavy fowls are 
kept, the roosts should be low, and in no case should 
the roosts be made one above another, as the fowls will 
alwa^'s strive for the highest roosts. 

There should be a wood-shed on every farm, and this 
should be near the house. It may be large or small, but 
should hold at least a month's stock of wood; and there 
should be a bin for kindlings; but it is better that it 
should be large enough to hold a stock for a year. 
Buildings that must be prominent, should be finished 
with some regard to appearance, and a little money will 
be well spent in making the wood-shed neat and tasty. 

Although not strictly to be classed as a farm build- 
ing, the ice-house should be found on many farms. 
Where there is an unfailing supplv of very cold water, 
it can be dispensed with, but where this is wanting, 
there are months in which first-class butter cannot be 
made, and milk, fresh meat, and many articles of food, 
cannot be kept twenty-four hours without the aid of ice. 



30 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

A good supply of ice will enable the farmer's wife to 
make good butter in dog-days, and to save much that 
would otherwise be lost; besides, ice is indispensable in 
many forms of sickness. 

There is an idea among most fai'raers that an ice-house 
must be an expensive building, with double walls, or 
sunk in the ground. There is no purpose for which a 
building is needed, where so plain and cheap a structure 
will answer, as for an ice-house. All that is necessary 
is, to have a roof, and walls that will keep the sawdust 
in its place. I have seen at one of the. cheese factories 
on the Western Reserve in Ohio, an ice-house that would 
hold one hundred tons, made, roof and all, of cheap, 
refuse lumber, and that probably did not cost over thirty 
dollars. All that is necessary' for ice to keep is, that 
there should be good drainage, to insure which throw in 
a foot of broken stone, or, if more convenient, wood or 
old rails will answer, and cover with six inches of saw- 
dust; that there should be sufficient bulk; that it should 
be well packed; that there should be at least twelve 
inches of sawdust at the sides, tightly packed in, and 
eighteen inches above it, and a roof above, to keep the 
rain off". The gables need not be boarded up, or, if they 
are, it is best to have windows open for ventilation. 
The farmer who can make a pond on his farm, from 
which to cut ice, or, who is convenient to some good source 
of supply, can, in addition to furnishing his own family, 
often make a handsome profit from the sale of ice. In 
estimating how large to build, j-ou will allow fortj^ 
cubic feet for a ton. I do not think less than 25 tons of 
ice will keep through the summer, and the proportionate 
waste will be much less with a larger bulk. The ice- 
house should be visited every day, as soon as spring 
opens; for even before the weather is very warm, during 



FARM BUILDINGS. ^ 31 

the winds of March, the ice will shrink and waste to 
some extent, and if an air-hole is formed, it will waste 
rapidly. Tramp over the top at every visit, and level 
the sawdust so as to fill up any holes which are begin- 
ning to form. 

TOOL-HOUSE. 

A tool-house, which may be a separate building, or a 
shed attached to the barn or one of the other buildings, 
is one of the most important out-buildings of the farm. 
Without it, the plows, harrows, rakes, reapers, etc., etc., 
will often be left exposed to the weather, and doubtless 
the loss in a few years to these implements is, on many 
farms, enough to build a shelter for them. 

INSURANCE, 

When the farmer has provided the necessary build- 
ings, there is one point more tO be attended to, and that 
is, to keep' them insured. The rates for isolated farm 
buildings are always low, and no farmer should take the 
risk of fire, when it can be so cheaply guarded against. 



CHAPTER y. 



FENCING. 



A heavj' item of expense on the farm is, building and 
ke,eping in repair tlie fences. In most timbered coun- 
tries, a few 3'ears ago, the fences were nearly all made 
of rails. On a large majority of farms there is no rail 
timber left, and something else must take the place of 
the old Virginia fences as they disappear. 

Hedges have been extensively planted, but there are 
serious objections to them, and those who have had the 
most experience with them are the least satisfied. There 
is but one plant used for this purpose to any great 
extent, and that is the Osage Orange; and while a 
good fence can be made of it, it is very seldom 
that we find one. The plant makes such a vigorous 
growth, that nothing less than three trimmings a season 
will keep it in shape, and this work must be done at the 
busy season of the year, when everything else is pushing. 

If, as some do, we adopt the plan of trimming once a 
year, in winter, the hedge grows out of shape early in 
the summer, and soon becomes so tall as to hide the 
fields from view, and injure the crops, both b}"^ its shade 
and by drawing moisture and nourishment from the 
adjoining soil. The division fences of a farm should be 
moved occasionally, and this is an objection to using 
hedge for anything but line fences. The fact that not 
one line of hedge out of a hundred is so cared for as to 
give satisfaction, and that two or three weeks neg- 
lect at the growing season, will make it a difficult 



FENCING. 33 

and laborious job to get it into good shape, leads 
me, after an experience in the care of hedges of thirty 
years, to advise farmers to plant but little of it. The 
only circumstances under which I would plant hedge, 
would be to border some permanent pasture away from 
the road, where I could allow it to grow without trim- 
ming, after it was thick enough at the bottom to turn 
stock. On many farms there could be a line of hedge 
managed in this wa}', so that it would not disfigure the 
farm, and would afford a good wind-break, and make a 
cheap and satisfactory fence. 

For general fencing, it seems pretty well settled now, 
post and board, or post and barbed wire, will be the 
main dependence. In many sections, a good stock law, 
well enforced, is being made a substitute for outside 
fences, and doubtless will become more general as the 
country becomes more thickly settled. It certainly is 
greatly cheaper to fence cattle in than to fence them out. 

POST-AND-BOARD FENCES. 

In putting up a fence of this character, it does not pay 
to do a poor job of work. The posts should be of locust, 
cedar, or some other durable wood, well set in the ground. 

To prevent heaving by the frost, a deep notch may be 
cut into each side of the post near the bottom, and a flat 
stone crowded into it, so that the post cannot be lifted 
without raising the stones. 

Various plans have been tried for the preservation of 
posts. I have found that the selection of good posts, of 
durable timber, is one of the most effectual, and, in the 
long run, the cheapest. Painting the part of the post 
that goes into the ground, or for that matter, the whole 
post, with coal tar, is inexpensive and quite effectual. 

I have tried on Eastview farm the plan of growing the 
posts where they stand ; that is, I have planted a row of 

2 



34 SUCCESS IN FARMING* 

trees where I intend the fence to be, set the right dis- 
tance apart for fence posts. As soon as large enough, 
I shall stand against them panels of board fence, secur- 
ing them at the top with tarred twine, or wire, tied 
loosely, so as not to injure the trees, and fastened at 
the bottom with a stake. The trees can thus do duty 
while growing into valuable timber. 

A fence along the highwa}', in front of the farm, should 
be neat and attractive, and some expense should be 
allowed merely for looks. But for other fences, some- 
thing in looks might be sacrificed to economy and ser- 
vice. In such cases, I would recommend nailing the 
boards to both sides of the post; that is, jiail the .boards 
at one end of the panel to one side of the post, and the 
boards for the next panel to the other side of the same 
post. Thus, in a fence running east and west, I would 
nail the boards of the first panel to the north side of the 
first post and south side of the second post; the next 
panel to the north side of the second post and south side 
©f the the third post, and so on. The advantages of 
this plan are that ^-ou save all sawing and fitting of 
boards — if a board is a little long, it projects that much. 
The fence is much stronger, as you do not have to nail 
so close to the ends of the boards, and the nails will 
therefore hold better. You can also use all your infer- 
ior poste for the centers of the panels, as you will nail 
only to one side of that post, and the ends of the boards 
will not come against it at all. 

In setting the posts for such a fence as this, set first 
the posts for the ends of the panels in an exact line, 
then lay a board across from post to post angling, the 
way it will be when nailed on, and set your mid-panel 
post by that, as it will not be exactly in a line with the 
others. For a very cheap fence the mid-panel posts 



FENCING. 35 

might be quite small ones sharpened and driven in with 
a maul or sledge. 

On level ground a three-board fence may be so made 
as to turn any stock. 

Leave a space of one foot beneath the first board, five 
inches between that and the second, and ten between the 
second and third. This will make the fence three feet 
nine inches high. Next plow a couple of furrows on 
each side throwing the earth towards the fence, and with 
the shovel shape it up into a round ridge with the cen- 
ter immediately under the fence. This ridge should, of 
course, be immediately seeded down in grass. 

If 3''ou plow nine inches deep, the top of the fence will 
be four feet six inches above the bottom of the ditch, 
and cattle with their fore feet in the ditch, and hind feet 
on the level, could not possibly jump it; while if they 
came up so as to get their hind feet in the ditch, they 
would be too close to jump. 

I think it a good plan to have fencing sawed eleven 
feet long — as then three panels would make exactly two 
rods, and furnish a convenient land measure — and a 
sharpened stake is then sufficient for the center of the 
panel, * 

In ever}^ line of board fence, even when it divides two 
farms, a movable panel is a convenient thing. To make 
this, select light, strong boards, and nail them to light 
uprights, and stay the panel with a brace or two of one 
by three inch material. Let the top board of the panel 
be six inches longer than the others, so as to project 
three inches at each end. Saw down six inches into the 
top of your posts two cuts -an inch and a quarter apart, 
and with an augur bore this piece off at the bottom; 
this makes a slot to receive the projecting end of your 
top board ; a pair of small stakes can be driven close 



36 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

to the posts at each end, to prevent the bottom of the 
panel from being blown or crowded out. When you 
wish to pass through, this can easily be lifted out and 
put back, and yet there is no danger of its being blown 
down or opened by stock. 

BARBED WIRE, 

This is ver}^ rapidly coming into use, and in the prai- 
rie sections of the West is taking precedence of 
all other fencing material. It is certainly cheaper than 
board, as the wire will practically last forever, and it re- 
quires fewer posts. I have seen large herds of cattle 
grazing alongside of a corn field, from which they were 
separated only by a barbed wire fence, with the posts 
fifty feet apart. This is wider than I would recom- 
mend; but a good post every thirty feet, with a stake 
driven midway to stay the wire, will make a good fence ; 
and this constitutes a lawful fence in several of the 
Western States. I think a good cattle fence can be 
made for less than fifty cents a rod, using three wires. 

One great advantage of barbed wire is, that in level 
countries it does not occasion snow-drifts, and is not as 
liable to be blown down as either rails or post and boards. 
The only disadvantage connected w,ith this fence is, 
that cattle and horses will sometimes run against the 
wires, receiving dangerous, or even fatal wounds. I 
have seen a combined board and wire fence, that seemed 
less liable to this objection. Two boards are placed at 
the bottom, and two barbed wires stretched above these. 
Every fourth post is the full hight, the remaining three 
being only eighteen inches above the the ground. 

In building a wire fence, the end and corner posts 
must be well braced by a heavy piece of timber from 
the top of the end post to the foot of the next one, and 
the wires must be tightly strained. I do not give fur- 



FENCING. 37 

ther particulars here, as the manufacturers of barbed 
wire usually furnish full instructions to those who pur- 
chase the wire. 

AN IMPROVED POST-AND-RAIL FENCE. 

Where there is still some good rail timber left, an ex- 
cellent and durable fence may be make by setting posts 
ten feet apart, splitting the rails quite thin and flat, and 
nailing them on to the posts with good, heavy nails. 
This fence requires fewer posts than a board fence, uses 
about one-third as many rails as a worm fence, and as 
the rails are lighter, saves fully three-fourths of the tim- 
ber, and the rails will last longer than boards. 

POUTABLE FENCE. 

A fence easily set up and taken down is greatly to be 
desired, and I have given the matter much thought. 
Four years ago I invented a fence, which I called a Self- 
supporting Truss Fence. The principle of this fence is, 
to make one panel support another, by leaning them 
against each other. The uprights, which take the place 
of posts, should be of hard wood, two inches square. 
These uprights are beveled at the top, so as to exactly 
fit when the bottoms of the panels are three feet apart. 
The three shore boards, which 3'OU can see at the right 
of the cut, are nailed to the uprights as the panels are 
set up, and close the space and support the fence. 
There is no need of nailing the tops of the uprights to- 
gether, as these boards hold them to their place per- 
fectly. I wish I could truthfully say that this fence 
would never blow down. I had it in use three years be- 
fore a panel of it did; but a gale finally tipped over 
some twenty rods of it. An expense of one dollar will, 
however, fix forty rods of it so that nothing short of a 
hurricane will blow it down. There are two ways ot 
doing this : One is to drive a short stake in the ground, 



38 



SUCCESS IN FARMING. 



flat against the brace boards at the end of the panel, and 
drive a single nail through it into the upright. These 
stakes should be high enough to reach to the second 
board, and the nails should be long enough to go through 
both stake and board, 
and hold in the oak 
upright. These short 
stakes should be driv- 
en on opposite sides, 
alternately. The oth- 
er way to make it se- 
cure would be to drive 
a stake in the ground 
at every third or 
fourth panel, in the 
notch formed at the 
ends of the panels, 
and let the stake come 
up as high as the top 
of the fence. The 
fence might stand for 
years without this 
precaution, but it will 
cost so little to attend 
to it, that I .would 
advise that it be done. 
When the tall stakes 
arc used, it would not 
be nr'cessary to nail 
the fence to them. 

While this fence cannot strictly be called a portable 
one, it can be moved by simply loosening the three short 
brace-boards, and a given amount of it can h^ taken 
down and put up in less than half the time required to 




FENCING. 39 

move a rail fence of the same length. One great 
advantage of this fence is, that it can be made un- 
der cover, in wet weather, and during the winter, 
while ordinary board fence can only be made when the 
weather is good and the land dry. In making this 
fence, you need three strong trestles, made of timber 
heavy enough so that you can nail on them. After you 
get one panel made just right, vrith the boards spaced to 
suit and the ends sQuare, you will always keep it on the 
trestle for a pattern, and by laying the uprights and 
boards directly' over those on this panel, you will get 
your panels right. I do not find five boards necessary, 
although there are five in the cut; for the fact of the 
panels leaning makes the base broader, and stock are 
less likely to jump it than if it stood perpendicularly. 
A sixteen-foot panel is too long, as it will sag a little in 
the middle, and I prefer to make them eleven or twelve 
feet long. If you wish to make it eleven feet, bu}^ part 
of vour fencing twelve feet, and part fourteen feet long, 
and then you can cut the top brace-board from the twelve- 
foot lumber, and the other two from the fourteen. 

That this is a cheap fence is easily seen. If the up- 
rights are made of two by two inch stuff, it takes but 
three feet of lumber for them. It will not cost for the 
labor, more than five cents a panel to make it, and two 
cents to set it up; while to make a post-and- board fence 
costs twenty-five cents a panel for labor, and two posts, 
which, if good locust is used, will cost twenty-five cents 
each. 

A three-board fence of this kind will turn cattle. A 
flat stone, or piece of board, can be placed under each of 
the uprights of this fence, so as to prevent all contact 
with the earth, and keep them from rotting. I would 
not do this until the fence was built, as it will be easier 



40 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

to put tliem under then than when setting up the panels. 
I feel confident that if this fence is given a fair trial, it 
will come largely into use for the division fences of the 
farm. All the fence except the uprights should be of 
pine, or light lumber. When made of heavy lumber, it 
is more liable to sag. 

LESS FENCING. 

There is one important point in connection with the 
fence question, to which I wish to call especial atten- 
tion, and that is, that farmers build too much fence. I 
see no reason why forty, sixty, or eighty acres of the best 
plow land on the farm should not be thrown into one 
field, and so managed as to turn no stock on it. I have 
practiced this for fifteen years on my own farm, and am 
much pleased with it. I find that a crop of clover al- 
lowed to grow and develop fully, so as to be cut for hay 
and seed, or the second growth turned under, helps the 
land more than when pastured off, and I believe that 
clay lands are often as much damaged by the tramping 
of the stock as they are benefitted by the clover. With 
our modern implements for saving the crops, we need 
not leave grain on the fields for the stock to glean, and 
we can make as great a profit, and keep the land up 
better, by farming our best land without fences. If 
there is land not well suited for tillage, it can be kept 
in permanent pasture. If all the farm can be culti- 
vated, it might have one permanent fence dividing 
it through the middle; and the self-supporting fence 
described can be moved to fence off any particular part 
3'ou wish to pasture. The exercise of thought and judg- 
ment in the matter of fencing the farm, using the best 
material where a permanent fence is needed, and dis- 
pensing with all unnecessary fences, by increasing the 
size of fields, and using the portable fence where it can 



FENCING. 41 

be used to advantage, will enable many farmers to re- 
duce the expense of fencing their farms at least one-half. 

GATES. 

If I wish to get a pretty close estimate of the charac- 
ter of a man, I go and look at his gates. If I find them 
secure, well hung, well fastened and easy to open and 
easy to shut, moving almost with a touch of the finger, 
I conclude he is a thrifty, careful man, and is having 
success in farming. If, on the other hand, I find them 
hung by one broken hinge, or on a sagging post, so that 
they have to be dragged around through the mud, and 
become nearly blockaded with every snow, with latches 
or hooks out of order — or altogether wanting — and the 
gate propped up with a pole or rail, I judge that in all 
his work and all his business, he is as shiftless and 
careless as he is with his gates, and that his success in 
farming will be so small that the less business dealings 
I have with him the more profitable it will be for me. 

From the number of dragging gates one sees in the 
country, it might be imagined that the hanging of a 
gate so it will not sag or drag, is one of the unsolved 
problems of the day ; but, in point of fact, only three 
things are needed: 

First. Common sense. 

Second. A well built gate. 

Third. A well set post. 

The lack of the first, displayed in many gates and 
gate posts, is really astonishing. 

The lack of the second is found in gates made »ut of 
soft lumber, badly braced, and often twice as heavy as 
need be. 

The lack of the third is seen in poor, spindling gate- 
posts, which look as if they had gro;^'n in a dry summer, 
set in the ground so short a distance that every frost 



42 SUCCESS IN KARMING. 

throws them out of position, and which, as soon as the 
ground becomes thoroughly softened with rain, yield to 
the side draft of the gate. 

Now that bolts are so cheap, a good gate may be 
made without a mortise. It should be made of hard, 
lasting Avood, except the slats, which should be no larger 
than necessary, as lightness is very desirable. At the 
hinge end, a strip, one by four inches, is put up on each 
side of the slats, and securely bolted through. The 
same is done at the latch end, but the uprights may be 
lighter. Two three inch slats — which need not be more 
than three-fourths of an inch thick — extend from the 
bottom of the gate at the hinge end to the top at the 
latch end, and a bolt put through at each slat, passing 
through both braces and slat. An extra strip may be 
put on to each side of the top slat at the hinge end, and 
the hinge, which should be a long strap one, securely 
bolted through. A gate thus built may rot down, but 
will never sag. When finished it should have two good 
coats of paint, and the lumber of which it is made 
should be thoroughly primed before the gate is put to- 
gether. Every gate on the farm should be long enough 
to allow the reaper to pass through. 

The post on which the gate hangs, should be at least 
eight inches square. The portion set in the ground 
may v/ell be left unsquared. Bear in mind that the 
larger the piece of timber set in the ground, the greater 
the force required to drag it over, as it exposes a greater 
surface to the earth. 

Forty inches is the least depth a post, intended to 
support a heavy gate, should be set in the earth, and 
four feet is better. A heavy sill, laid at the level of the 
ground, and exactly fitting between the two gate-posts, 
will not only make it impossible for pigs to root under 



FENCING. 43 

the gate, but will make it almost impossible for the post 
to get out of perpendicular in that direction — and if 
set as above directed, it is not liable to lean in any other 
direction, unless the gate is left open a great deal. 

The fastening of a gate may be either a latch, a hook, 
or a peg. If the latter, the peg should be fastened to 
the post by a strap, to prevent it from being lost or car- 
ried away. When a gate is well built, as above de- 
scribed, so as never to sag, there» is no reason why it 
should not be fastened with a latch, that will need only 
that rtie gate be pushed to. 

The approaches to the gate on both sides should be 
thoroughly graveled, so as to make a muddy gateway — 
one of the greatest abominations on the farm — an impos- 
sibility. The 3'oung man who has, every time he comes 
to a gate in wet weather, to get out of the wagon, wade 
through deep mud, carry round one end of a heavy, drag- 
ging gate, drive the team through, go back, drag the gate 
to, prop it with a rail, and get back into the wagon with 
wet feet, boots muddied to the top, and a temper sadly 
ruffled, must either be deeply attached to the occupation 
of agriculture, or else sadly lacking in appreciation of 
<;omfort in life, if he do not begin to look for some occu- 
pation attended with less hard and disagreeable inci- 
dents of work. 

But some one objects that it will be an expensive job 
to set a gate in this manner. Yes, it will cost some- 
thing; but the time wasted in using such gates as we 
often see, will amount to much more in a single j^ear 
than the entire cost of gate, post, labor and graveling. 
Of course it would be folly to go to this expense for 
gates in places where they will be used but seldom. In 
such places a light lift-gate costs but little, and is prefer- 
able to a poorly hung hinge-gate. 



44 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

It should be made like th.e movable panel, before de- 
scribed, except that the top board need not project, and 
it should be made of good light lumber, well put together. 
What would be the hinge-end stands between two stakes, 
fastened together at the top, the one on the side towards 
which the gate opens being a little more than its width 
back of the other, so that the gate will not bind on them 
when opened. One of the boards of the gate rests on a 
piece of hard board with a rounded edge, nailed across 
from one stake to the other. Of course, the bottom 
board should clear the ground by two or three inches. 
The latch-end goes in between two stakes. To open this 
gate, 3'ou will slide it back enough to clear the stakes 
at the latch-end, and then carry that end around. 

One concluding point : In gates, as in fences, have as 
few as possible ; for every gate is an extra expense, and 
even the best occasion, in the course of a year, a great 
amount of lost time. The intelligent farmer can think 
over this point and draw his own conclusions. 



CHAPTER VI. 



DRAINAGE. 



It is no part of the plan of the present work to furnish 
an exhaustive treatise on drainage. Volumes have been 
written on the subject, and doubtless more will be. The 
man who has a large farm requiring extensive and syste- 
matic drainage — in which he expects to spend hundreds 
or thousands of dollars, will do well to invest a few dol- 
lars in some of the complete and excellent works on the 
subject that are now in existence, and secure the assist- 
ance of a civil engineer. 

The object of this book is to be an aid to the practical 
farmer in the ordinary work of the farm, and the drain- 
age of a field, or portion of a field, often becomes an im- 
portant part of this ordinary work. 

I would tf ish to relieve the average farmer of the idea 
which is sometimes entertained, that it is hopeless to at- 
tempt anything in the way of drainage unless he can 
employ a civil engineer and have it done scientifically. 
In the great majority of our western farms, the average 
farmer, with the exercise of an average amount of com- 
mon sense, can manage the entire matter. 

I shall not in this article say aught concerning stone, 
or board, or straw, or brush, or any of the other mater- 
ials that have sometimes been used for drains, for prac- 
tical experience has narrowed the matter to the use of 
common round tiles, and we have no space to waste in 
explaining methods that ought never to be used. 



46 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

WHAT ADVANTAGE IS THERE IN DNDERDRAINING ? 

It prevents the drowning out of crops in wet seasons. 

It enables the farmer to work the soil earlier in the 
epring and sooner after rains. 

It prevents the souring of the soil caused by excessive 
moisture. 

It lessens the risk of freezing out in winter grain. 

It lessens the risk of surface washing. 

It keeps the ground moist and the crops growing in a 
dry season. 

It makes the ground warmer. 

It permits a more thorough pulverization of the soil. 

It increases the fertility of the soil. 

To read this list of advantages may at first make one 
think of the advertisements of some patent medicines 
which are warranted to cure all and the most dissimilar 
complaints, but there is not one of the above points but 
what has been demonstrated practicall}', and can be ex- 
plained scientifically. 

HOW DRAINAGE 13 BENEFICIAL. 

To comprehend this we must consider as briefly as 
possible some of the characteristics of the Soil, and the 
requirements of successful plant growth. 

No soil can produce useful crops when it is perma- 
nently saturated with water. — Such a soil may grow 
reeds and rushes, but not crops of wheat or corn. 

The best condition of soil for successful plant growth 
is found when the particles of the soil are moist, but 
when there is no standing water between these particles. 

Whatever means will bring about this condition, will 
accomplish all the results just stated as being accom- 
plished by underdrainage. 

In wet seasons, if no adequate means are provided for 
removing the excess of moisture that falls upon the soil. 



I>UAINAGE. 47 

it will be continually saturated and the crops will be 
drowned out. Underdrainage, by furnishing means for 
the escape of the surplus water prevents this. 

It needs no argument to prove that underdraining en- 
ables the ground to be worked earlier in the spring and 
sooner after rains, but farmers should consiHer the ad- 
vantage connected with this. The success or failure of 
a crop may often be determined by the time when the 
ground for them can be prepared. 

Water standing in the soil causes the vegetable mat- 
ter to undergo what chemistry calls the acetic fermenta- 
tion, thus rendering the soil sour and unfit for cultiva- 
tion; of course underdrainage removes this evil by remov-. 
ing the cause. 

The "freezing out" of winter grain is not occasioned 
by the excessive cold, but by the formation of ice in the 
upper part of the soil, which thi'ows out the plant and 
leaves it to perish. If the soil is underdrained the water 
passes off through the drains instead of remaining in the 
surface soil and this injury is avoided. 

If the soil is full of water, that which falls upon it in 
a rain must flow off over the surface, carrying with it 
much of the best and finest of the soil, and often doing 
much damage. — Underdraining leaves the pores of the 
soil empt}', so that the water falling upon it sinks directly 
in, to be ultimately carried off by the drains. As an 
illustration of this may be noted that even steep hill 
sides in some of the north-eastern counties of Ohio, where 
the subsoil is gravel, which forms a natural underdrain- 
age, do not wash at all, while comparatively level fields 
in sections resting on tough clay or hard pan, are contin- 
ually being gullied out by the surface watei*. 

All these points are reasonably clear, but we now come 
to a claim that at first seems paradoxical: — How can 



48 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

draining land keep it moist and the crops growing in a 
dry season ? 

First. By enabling the farmer to thoroughly pulver- 
ize the soil, and I shall show in discussing pulverization 
how that fits the soil for drawing up moisture from 
below. 

Second, By preventing the soil from becoming baked 
and cloddy. When a soil is saturated with water, and 
becomes dry simply by evaporation, it hardens and 
bakes so that it is incapable of receiving moisture either 
from the air above or the earth below. 

Third. By causing the plants to send their roots 
deeper into the soil. When a plant begins to grow in 
the spring in an undraiued soil, the roots will not 
penetrate into the cold lower soil filled with stagnant 
water, but run along through the few inches of drier sur- 
face. When the dry weather comes the sun completely 
dries this out, and the plant having no other source of 
si^^ply, perishes. On land that has been underdrained, 
the soil is left in the condition described as most favor- 
able for plant growth: moist, but with no standing water 
between the particles, and the plant sends its roots far 
and deep. When the sun of summer' dries th6 surface of 
the ground, the plant has communication With the cool 
moist soil far below. 

The past season, 1881, has demonstrated the truth of 
this claim beyond a question. The best crops were grown 
on the well drained fields. 

Underdrainage makes the ground warmer: 

Fii'st. By admitting the warm air into the soil. As 
fast as the water is drawn off from below, the warm air 
follows, penetrating and warming the soil. 

Second. Because a dry soil can be warmed more read- 
ily than a wet one. 



DRAINAGE. 49 

Third. Because evaporation is avoided. Every one 
who has ever been caught in a shower of rain, and stood 
with his wet clothes on, knows how the evaporation of 
the water chills him. Science teaches us that the evap- 
oration of one pound of water requires four times as 
much heat as would be required to raise the same amount 
from the freezing to the boiling point. We see therefore 
that if the water that falls upon the soil remains until 
removed by evaporation, all the heat which should be 
making the soil warm is being wasted in evaporating the 
water. 

Everybody knows that if a jug of water is wrapped up 
in a wet flannel, the water in the jug will not get warm 
as long as the flannel is kept soaked with water. Just 
so with the soil. It will not get warm as long as the 
surface is full of water. 

Experiment has demonstrated the truth of theory in 
this matter. One experimenter made a number of tests 
in two adjoining fields, one drained, the other undrained. 
The average temperature of the soil in the field that had 
been drained was 6^ degrees higher than in the other. 
Further experiments have fully confirmed these. 

And this adds another to the reasons why drainage 
enables the earlier cultivation of a field and lengthens the 
season: the ground becomes warmer so much earlier in 
the spring and remains warm later in the fall. 

Drainage increases the fertility of the soil in exactly 
the same way as pulverizing does — b}'' enabling the soil 
to absorb fertility from the atmosphere. I describe in 
the article on pulverization the absorptive power of dry 
earth; but soil saturated with water not only cannot be 
penetrated by the air, but also is incapable of absorbing 
any fertility from it. Therefore, thorough drainage adds 
greatly to the fertility of the soil. 



50 



SUCCESS IN FARMING. 



WILL IT PAY TO DRAIN. 

This is certainly one of the most important questions 
connected with the whole subject. No matter how scien- 
tific the theory or desirable the results — if the cost is 
greater than the accruing profits, the man who would 
have success in farming will wisely leave drainage for 
the amateur who farms for love and not for profit. 

Sometimes, in our western states, land may be found 
that is utterly worthless, but which would yield unfail- 
ing crops if thoroughly and systematically drained. Here 
the reader will sa}^ is certainly a place where drainage 
will pay. — But wait, perhaps it will cost $50 per acre to 
reclaim this land, while equally good land can be bought 
for $15 or $20 per acre, that needs no drainage. In this, 
as in everything else on the farm, common sense is the 
necessary guide. 

In many sections an expenditure of from $10 to $20 per 
acre will accomplish the desired result, and where corn 
brings 40 cents, and wheat $1 per bushel, the increased 
yield, even in the favorable years, will far more than pay 
the interest on the investment, and in exceptionally wet 
or dry seasons, the drained land will often produce a 
good crop, while the undrained will produce none — and 
this single crop more than pay the whole original cost. 
An excellent illustration of this will be round iu the 
chapter on wheat. 

HOW DOES THE WATER ENTER THE TILE? 

This question is often asked, and is of some impor- 
tance, as some persons get the idea that it is necessary 
to leave spaces between the tiles to admit the water — 
which spaces admit stones and dirt, and sometimes oc- 
casion the stoppage of the drain. 

The water enters partly through the spaces between 
the tiles, which, even when they are laid as closely as 



DRAINAGE. 51 

possible, are far more than sufficient for this purpose. 
The true plan in laying tile is to make the joints fit as 
closely as possible, and no uneasiness need be expe- 
rienced lest the water will not find its way in. 

HOW TO DRAIN. 

Before beginning the work of draining, the farmer 
should decide what he intends to do. There are many 
farms where nothing more is needed than to put in here 
and there a short line of tile to bring some low or springy 
spot into cultivation and the fields into good shape, and 
here the matter of draining is quite easy. Even on 
farms where a larger amount of draining is needed, the 
slope of the land may be such as to give a uniform fall, 
and to indicate plainly how the drains should be laid 
out. What I would caution the farmer against who lacks 
experience in this matter, is making a wrong start where 
the fall is but slight, and a general system of drains is 
required. On such a farm it may be necessary to ex- 
pend a much larger sum than the farmer feels that he 
can spare at once, and if he begins with one or two hun- 
dred dollars a work that will require a thousand to com- 
plete, it is important that the money be spent in putting 
in main drains, with tile of sufficient size, so that at some 
future time laterals can be cut and arranged to dis- 
charge into the mains. It is a good plan always to so 
lay out the drains that there will be no difficulty in 
knowing exactly where to dig to tap them; and this is 
especially important in such cases as the above. Lay 
out the drains by line if possible, and make a plot of 
them in your account book, giving land-marks and meas- 
urements. 

The most important part of your drain is the outlet. 
Make sure of a good fall, so that the water will flow 
readily from it, and see that it is protected from stock. 



52 SUCCESS IN FAKMING. 

If the shape of the land is such that a strong stream of 
water is likely to run over the surface in a heavy rain, 
divide it if possible a few rods above the mouth of the 
drain, and cause part to flow on each side at a little dis- 
tance from the drain. Always begin digging a ditch at 
the lowest point, and see that it is graded properly before 
beginning to lay the tile, and then begin laying the tile at 
the upper end, and fill as you go. The grade should be 
uniform, and the best way to level the bottom of a ditch, 
particularly if one is inexperienced, is to have the water 
flowing through it, as this will enable you to detect at 
once any inequality. There must be no low places in 
the bottom of the ditch, for if there are, the drain will 
inevitably fill up. As to depth and distance apart to lay 
tile, there can no general rule be given, as to answer this 
question one must understand the soil and circum- 
stances. Many writers recommend a uniform depth of 
four feet; but, although drains act in proportion to their 
depth, there are soils in which it would bo cheaper to 
lay two drains two feet deep and as many rods apart, 
than half the number four feet deep and four rods apart. 
The drains on my farm are none of them over two feet 
deep, and in some places we struck the limestone at 
twenty inches, and yet they do good service and drain to 
a greater distance than we are usually led to believe 
drains will act. As a proof how far a drain two feet deep 
will act, I will give a fact in my own experience. There 
is a neighbor whose farm joins mine, and I own the land 
both south and west of him. About an acre of liis land 
in this corner was so wet that for many years no crops 
could be grown on it, and often in the spring there would 
be water standing on it, when twenty rods away the land 
was in good condition to plow. On the south of this, at 
a distance of forty feet from the line, I put down a lat- 



DRAINAGE. 53 

eral drain, and two others at the distance of forty and 
eighty feet from the first, running them parallel with the 
line till the}- entered my main drain, the water in which 
flows to the south-east. At a distance of about sixteen 
rods from my neighbor's west line is the head of a drain 
which runs north-west on my north farm. These drains 
of mine have so thoroughly drained this land of my 
neighbor's that he now grows good crops on it; and al- 
though this is a heavy clay soil, these drains show their 
effect for at least twenty rods. 

SIZE OF TILE 

Is another question which requires the exercise of judg- 
ment. Where the fall is such as to give a strong cur- 
rent, a tile of given size will carry much more water than 
where there is little fall and a sluggish current. The 
length of the drain must also be taken into account, and 
if long, it will often be necessary to use a larger tile to- 
wards the mouth than at the head, to carry the accumu- 
lation of water. I have found a three-inch tile lai'ge 
enough for all single lines where the distance was not 
great, and use larger for main lines into which to run lat- 
erals. I would not advise the use of tile less than two 
inches in the clear under any circumstances. 

There is often much unnecessaiy labor in digging a 
ditch, in digging too wide and thus removing unneces- 
saiy earth. Buy suitable tools, and be careful to lay out 
the ditch straight and as narrow as you can work in, and 
this will be avoided. Do not put in defective tiles. 
See that each will ring, and reject all that fail to do so. 



CHAPTER VII. 



FERTILIZATION. 

A vital question to the modern farmer is bow to main- 
tain the fertility of the soil, or, what is still more diffi- 
cult, restore fertility to soils that have been impover- 
ished. 

The American farmer, from the fact that land has 
been cheap and abundant, has been exceedingl}^ prodigal 
of its fertility. Until quite a recent period, there was so 
much virgin soil to be cleared, that the farmer, as he 
found his fields declining in productiveness, had only 
with ax and torch to conquer from the wilderness another 
field, rich with the plant food which had slowl}' accumu- 
lated for ages. And even when the limit was reached in 
our Central States, the great West, with its countless 
acres of the richest soil, was waiting to welcome him. 
Under these conditions, our system of farming grew to 
be a wasteful one, and for many 3^ears the yield of crops 
declined on much of the land that had been long under 
cultivation. 

For some j^ears past, there has been a gradual change 
for the better in our sj'stem of farming. Farmers are 
beginning to ask earnestly: "How can we maintain or 
increase the fertility of our lands?" and many old fields 
have been brought back to a yield which equals that of 
the days of their virgin fertility. I think there are farm • 
ers who honestly believe that the legitimate and inevita- 
ble result of farming is to exhaust the soil, and that a 



HOME-MADK MANURES. 55 

farm, like a piece of macMner}', will wear out and be- 
come worthless. The problem we are called to solve is, 
to restore fertility to lands already impoverished, and to 
so manage our farms as to maintain or increase their 
productiveness. 

In doing this, we are to make use of: 

Home-made manures; ' 

Green manures; 

Kotation of crops ; 

Pulverization; 

Commercial manures. 

I have arranged these somewhat in the order of their 
importance and value to the farmer, although it is a 
little difficult to give each one its relative position. 
They are all of exceeding importance, and largely de- 
pendent upon one another, and may all be combined in 
farm management. The first four certainly cannot well 
be separated. I have put commercial manures last, be- 
cause I believe that home resources should be utilized 
before money is spent to purchase plant food. 



HOME-MADE MANURES. 

How shall we get the most? 

How shall we manage it so as to have it in the best 
condition? 

How and to what crops shall we apply it? 

Under the system of farming generally practiced, a 
very large part of the manure is wasted. The barn-yard 
is not arranged with reference to saving manure. It 
should, while large enough to accommodate the stock, 
be small enough so that it could be deeply covered with 
straw, or the waste of the corn fodder, so as to retain the 



56 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

liquid, and should be so shaped that water could neither 
enter it from the adjoining land, or flow from it. To 
this barn-yard should be brought all the straw and corn 
stalks on the farm, and instead of allowing the cattle to 
tramp over the fields pasturing off the stalks through the 
winter, they should (when not in the stables) be kept in 
here from the time grass fails in the fall until turned on 
pasture in the spring. 

The farmer growing an average of forty or fifty acres 
of corn and wheat each year, and who has followed the 
old plan of stacking his straw in the woods, and pastur- 
ing his stalk fields, will be astonished at the bulk of good 
manure he can save in a year if this plan is followed. 

I would recommend that the stable floors be made 
water-tight, and enough bedding used to save all the 
liquid, and that the manure from the stables be wheeled 
out and spread eVenly over the barn-yard, so as to be 
mixed with the coarser material. This barn-yard is to 
be the farmer's chemical laboratory, where the waste ma- 
terial of the farm, and that which is oSensive is trans- 
muted into gold. 

While the barn-yard is the main, it is not the only, 
source of fertilizers on the farm. Both the poultry- 
house and priv}"" supply a fertilizer nearly or quite equal 
in value to the commercial fertilizers for which we pay 
$30 to $40 per ton. Either of these may be prepared for 
use so that the}^ will be as pleasant to handle as dust 
from the road, and make a powerful and valuable ma- 
nure. I think that the manure from a dozen fowls will 
amount to a barrel or more a year, and in an experiment 
I made two years ago on wheat land, one barrel of hen 
manure, finely pulverized and drilled in with the wheat 
on an acre, gave as heavy a crop as the adjoining acre 
with twelve loads of stable manure. The contents of the 



HOMK-MADE manu::es. 57 

"box under the privy and the droppings from the hen- 
roost should be taken up every week and thrown in a 
bin prepared for the purpose, under cover, and enough 
dry earth scattered over it to prevent any escape of 
ammonia, and four weeks before it is wanted for use, it 
should be moistened with the strongest manure water 
you can get, so as to cause fermentation. If it is partly 
decomposed, so that it will not ferment readily, add one- 
fourth its bulk of wheat bran — which is of itself a cheap 
and good fertilizer — and a violent fermentation will at 
once take place. When you wish an active fermentation 
with manure of any kind, pile it up in a conical heap. 
As soon as this is thoroughly hot, level it down to six or 
eight inches deep, scatter a little plaster over it and turn 
it every day, beating it with the shovel so as to make it 
fine. In a week or so, sift it through a mason's sieve, 
and if there is much that will not pass through, mix a 
little more bran with it, wet up and heat, and go through 
the same process again. This makes an exceedingly 
■valuable manure, especially to use in the garden, or in 
the hill for melons, and when dry it is oderless. It also 
feeds through the fertilizer drill as readily as bone meal. 
What I have said above about stable manure relates 
mainl3' to quantity. I wish to recommend the thorough 
fining of manure, that its quality and availability may be 
improved. We should recollect that manure can onl}^ be 
assimilated by the plant when soluble, and that decom- 
position is much more rapid in the compost heap than in 
the soil. Many farmers object to the labor of turning 
and handling manure in the barn-yard; but as manure 
is valuable, not for its bulk, but for the available plant 
food it contains, I am convinced that by turning and 
fining we can so reduce the bulk and increase its availa- 
bility as to more than pay for the labor. Manure, 



S8 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

tramped down in the stable or barn-yard is impervious 
to air, and fermentation is suspended, and vfhen we wish 
to prepare it for use, we fork it up, so as to admit the air 
and start fermentation. It is best always to do this af- 
ter a heavy rain, as moisture is necessary. 

If the manure is wanted for a hot-bed, or we want the 
quickest fermentation we can get, make the heap conical 
and six or eight feet high, but it must not be left many 
days in this shape, or it will fire-fang. The best plan, 
where a slow decomposition is wanted, is to make the 
heap four feet high and perfectly flat. In from ten to 
twenty days this manure may be turned again, and these 
handlings will reduce its bulk at least one-half — if it was 
coarse and strawy — and will make it of uniform quality, 
and quickly available to the plant. 

During many years's experience as a gardener, I have 
had occasion to test this matter of thoroughly decompos- 
ing and fining manure, and I believe that a load of good 
stable manure, so finely pulverized that it could be sifted, 
applied to a half acre, would produce a heavier growth, 
particularly of small grain or grass, than four loads of 
equally good manure, spread on as it is ordinarily ap- 
plied. 

After considerable observation and experiment with 
manure, I have come to the conclusion that I get a better 
return from it when applied at the surface, and that it 
pays better when applied to wheat than to other field 
crops. Manured wheat is rarely a failure. Fly, frost, 
rust, chinch bug, and other enemies soon overcome a 
wheat plant which already lacks vitality and vigor, but 
rarely a vigorous one grown on a well manured soil; and 
this is to be taken into account in estimating the value 
of manure. Another reason why I like surface manur- 
ing for wheat is that the young plant may immediately 



GREEN MANURING. 59 

feel its benefit and make a good start for winter. When 
the manure is plowed under deeply, the wheat gets 
but little benefit from it the first autumn, just when it 
most needs it. Still another reason for using manure 
on wheat and as a top dressing is, that it assists us to 
grow a clover crop at the same time the wheat crop is 
growing, and this clover crop is a grand pulverizer and 
fertilizer. There is little difficulty in bringing run-down 
land to a high state of productiveness if we can get clo- 
ver to grow on it, and a light dressing of manure at the 
surface makes a capital seed bed for the clover. The 
farmer who follows a system of rotation of crops, uses all 
his manure on wheat, and always sows clover with his 
wheat, will not need manure on his corn crop, and will 
rarely if ever fail to be paid for his manure from the 
first wheat crop. 



GREEN MANURING. 

If asked which I considered the most important to the 
farmer, stable manure or green manures, I should an- 
swer, " This ought ye to have done, and not have left the 
other undone." I should not be willing to farm without 
either. 

There is this in favor of green manuring, that there is 
very little labor about it, and we avoid the dirt and dis- 
agreeable odors which stable manures always have. I 
have experimented enough with clover to lead me to de- 
termine that the second growth, plowed under in July, 
after the first crop has been either cut for hay or pas- 
tured, is worth to the succeeding wheat crop as much as 
a dressing of ten loads of manure per acre. The differ- 
ence in the cost of fertilizing by these two methods is 
great. Clover seed must be unusuallyhigh if the cost of 



60 SUCCESS IN FAKMING. 

seeding is over $1 per acre, while the cost of hauling and 
spreading ten loads of manure, even if on the farm, 
would be about three times this, and the actual cost of 
manure applied to the field, will rarely fall short of $1 
per load, and often exceed it. One of the fairest tests I 
ever made of the comparative value of stable manure and 
clover was on some impoverished land on which I have 
been experimenting for some j^ears. As I shall devote 
a short section to this land, I will not give the details 
here. I recollect a remarkable yield of corn from clover 
manuring about 1861. I owned a field of cold clay land 
on which I found it difficult to grow paying crops. Corn 
rarely made over twentj^-five bushels to the acre; but 
one year, when wheat was nearly a failure, I had a 
splendid growth of clover. I did not pasture it in the 
fall or the following spring, and by the first week in May 
it was six inches high. I turned it under and had fifty 
bushels of excellent corn to the acre, which, knowing the 
quality of the land, was a surprise tome. As I think 
over my experience with clover as a fertilizer, I can say 
I have never been disappointed with it. Some fail to 
get much benefit from it because they pasture it the 
first season while it is young and tender, or turn on it 
in spring, and feed it off so short that it never makes 
growth enough to shade the soil or develop its roots 
properly. I shall devote a chapter to clover, in which I 
shall more fully discuss its value and proj^er manage- 
ment. My practice has been ever since I began farm- 
ing, and my advice to all is to sow clover with every 
acre of small grain. It is the cheapest and best fertil- 
izer in America. 

Another valuable plant for green manuring is rye. It 
can be grown between two crops of corn, and so costs 
nothing for rent of land. It will attain its full growth 



GREEN MANURING. 61 

80 that it can be plowed under from the first to the 
twentieth of May, according as the season is early or 
late. 1 have found the cora crop largely increased the 
second j^ear after I had plowed in a crops of rye, and its 
mechanical effects are very marked and beneficial. As 
I intend to devote one chapter to " Ryfe on the Farm," I 
will leave it for the present. 

Another crop which is worthy of careful experiment 
for the purpose of green manuring is corn. A very 
heavy growth can be made in a few weeks; and when 
clover fails, the wheat stubble may be plowed and corn 
sown, which will attain a heavy growth before frost. I 
have grown twenty tons, green, per acre when sown July 
23rd. A neighbor two years ago tried this experiment, 
plowing the crop under as soon as the frost killed it, and 
was much pleased with the result, the corn on the field 
next year showing to a row by its rank growth, where 
the green crop was plowed under. 

Buckwheat makes an exceedingly rapid growth, and 
has an excellent effect in pulverizing stubborn soils. It 
has been claimed by experimenters and scientific men 
that buckwheat, when plowed under, destroj^s insects in 
the soil. This is a matter worthy of consideration and 
careful experiment. 

I would recommend the following experiment in green 
manuring on exhausted land: Seed heavily with rye in 
autumn; plow this under when in bloom and seed with 
buckwheat, and as soon as this was large enough plow 
it down and sow four bushels of corn to the acre and 
plow the latter under as soon as killed by frost. 

There are millions of acres of land cultivated from 
year to j^ear that do not yield a cent of profit — many of 
them at an actual loss — and for which it is impossible 
to get manure; and if they can be renovated by green 



62 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

manuring, it is time farmers knew it. I doubt if one 
farmer in ten thousand can tell whether it would pay to 
give a field the treatment I suggest; and yet how easy it 
would be to experiment with a single acre and settle the 
question. 

The benefit from green manures seems to be more than 
the actual plant food they furnish, for their mechanical 
effect opens the soil to atmospheric influences, and in 
some way which I cannot explan, the simple shading of the 
soil enriches it. Harlan, in his book on Farming with 
Green Manures, alludes to this, and tells of an English 
farmer who, leaving a door lying on a f:ilIow field for 
several months, found that for several 3^ears the crops 
were heavier on that spot, as though some rich manure 
had been applied. The great benefit of clover is sup- 
posed to be partlj^ due to the dense shade it gives to the 
soil. Whatever is the Cause of the increased fertility, 
whether actual plant food, chemical action of the de- 
ca3ang plants in the soil, the mechanical eff'ect, shade, or 
all combined, the fact remains that green manuring of- 
fers a cheap and satisfactory method of increasing the 
fertility of the soil, and especially of restoring worn-out 
lands, and the wise farmer will push his investigations 
in this direction. 

With all that has been said in favor of green manur- 
ing, I would not give the impression that the farmer who 
follows this sj'stem would thereby be justified in allow- 
ing the manure from the barn-yard and other sources to 
be wasted; but the best results will come from a combi- 
nation of the two, using the stable manure with refer- 
ence to growing a fertilizing crop. 



COMMERCIAL MANURES. 

It is only within a few years that these have been used 



COMMERCIAL MANUltES. 63 

to any extent on Western farms, and it is doubtful if 
one farmer in twenty has used them at all. In most 
localities they have now gained a foothold, and their sale 
is rapidly increasing. I wish first to correct a misappre- 
hension concerning them which I find prevalent among 
farmers, namely, that they are only stimulants and that 
their use, while it will produce increased crops for a 
while, will ultimately impoverish the soil. This is a 
mistake, for commercial fertilizers furnish plant food, 
and cause an increase of crops in the same way as stable 
manure. The error of supposing that they are only 
stimulants has probably arisen from the fact that they 
do not, like stable manures, furnish all the necessary ele- 
ments of plant food. By the continued and exclusive 
use of a commercial fertilizer containing some particular 
element of plant food and deficient in others, heavy crops 
may be gi'own which will ultimately exhaust the soil of 
those elements wanting in the fertilizer. The remedy 
for this trouble is to change the fertilizer, selecting one 
rich in those ingredients which were wanting in the pre- 
ceding one. 

Commercial manures are not intended to take the place 
of stable manure, but rather, to supplement it; and the 
farmer should save and apply all the home-produced ma- 
nures before spending money for others. Again, I would 
not advise any farmer to invest largely in commercial 
manures until he has tested them on his own land, for 
they are not as uniform and certain in their action as 
stable manure. 

No farmer should purchase commercial fertilizers with 
his eyes shut, but should consider carefully: Is this 
fertilizer the one my soil needs? Is it adapted to the 
crop I am growing? Is it worth the price charged for it? 

The valuable constituents in all these fertilizers are 



64 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

ammonia, phosphoric acid and potash. A convention 
of agricultural chemists has considered this question, 
and agreed upon a standard valuation of these articles, 
so that any farmer knowing the amount of each of these 
in any given fertilizer, can arrive at a reasonably cor- 
rect knowledge of its value to him. 

One great advantage of using commercial manures — 
on soils where they give good results — is, the ease with 
which they are applied. With a drill with fertilizer at- 
tachment it does not cost anything to aj^ply the manure, 
for 3'ou can drill as many acres of wheat a day as you 
could if not using the fertilizer. At present a fertilizer 
drill costs about $25 or $30 more than an ordinary one, 
but a manufacturer of my acquaintance has just patented 
an improvement which he thinks will enable him to offer 
a first-class drill with fertilizer attachment at a few dol- 
lars above the cost of an ordinary drill. This drill will 
be tested before this book goes to press, and if it proves 
satisfactory, it will probably be advertised in the last 
pages of the book. With the rapidly increasing use of 
bone meal and other commercial fertilizers, and the ex- 
cellent results from their use in many cases the wise 
farmer who is purchasing a drill, will get one with fertil- 
izer attachment, so that he will be prepared to use these 
fertilizers if he finds them profitable. Poultry manure 
can be easily prepared as I described in a former chap- 
ter, so as to be drilled in. I have recently been in cor- 
respondence with a manufacturer who is getting up a 
hand mill for grinding bones, who claims that he can 
furnish a cheap mill with which a man can grind from 
50 to 100 pounds of bone an hour and with which dcy 
manure of any kind can be reduced to powder. If this 
can be done, such a machine will certainly be exceedingly 
valuable. Bone meal is rich in phosphoric acid which is 



COMMERCIAL MANURES. 65 

the element most needed for wheat and is the most last- 
ing in character, and will benefit the succeeding crop, 
particularly grass or clover more than the superphos- 
phates, but the latter are usually more soluble and 
quicker in their action and will give the wheat a quicker 
start in the fall, which is an advantage in getting it well 
rooted for winter. I know there are localities where the 
wheat crop has been doubled by the use of these fertil- 
izers, and every dollar expended for them has returned 
two or three. My advice to every farmer is, to experi- 
ment with them, and if you cannot get a fertilizer drill 
use them broadcast and harrowed into a mellow surface. 
This was the way I first tried bone meal, and I found as 
good effects fi-om it as when drilled in with the wheat. 

Although bone meal and superphosphates are the prin- 
cipal commercial fertilizers, there are others which may 
often be used with profit. In soils in which lime is de- 
ficient, it can often be used to great advantage. All 
plants contain it, some of them in large quantities, it 
being found in straw, ha}^ leaves of fruit trees, peas, tur- 
nips, etc., and constituting more than one-third of the 
ash of red clover. 

Lime has other uses besides furnishing the plant what 
it needs. 

It counteracts sourness in the soil. It aids the decom- 
position of vegetable and animal matter. It breaks down 
the mineral particles, and by these means prepares dif- 
ferent parts of the soil for the use of plants. It is said 
to exhaust the soil, but it only does it by producing 
larger crops, as explained elsewhere in connection with 
other commercial fertilizers, and the remedy is the same. 
Lime is an alkali and corrects the acidity in soils by 
uniting with and neutralizing the acids. Lime hastens 
the rotting of organic matter in the soil, but should never 

3 



06 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

be used in the compost heap, as it liberates the ammonia 
and allows it to escape. Lime varies somewhat in its 
composition, and as a rule, that which makes the best 
wall plaster is best for the soil. One other fact in con- 
nection with the use of lime is, that it has a tendency to 
sink in the soil, and should always be applied at the 
surface. 

Salt. — This article is valuable as a fertilizer on some 
crops and soils. It furnishes some portion of plant food 
and by chemical action in some soils renders materials 
already present available. One benefit from its use is 
that it stiffens the straw by rendering soluble the silica 
in the soil, and thus enables a crop of small grain to 
stand and ripen which without it would lodge. It ma}' be 
sown on wheat in the spring at the rate of three or four 
bushels to the acre, and is also valuable in the compost 
heap at the rate of a peck to the cord, as it will hasten 
decomposition and destroy both weed seeds and insects. 
Salt for fertilizing purposes may be had at a small cost 
from packing houses or tanneries, and it is more valuable 
than the fresh article. 

One other commercial fertilizer is gypsum, or land 
plaster. It is a constituent of many plants, and is an ex- 
cellent absorbent of ammonia and useful to sprinkle in 
stables, poultry houses, privies, etc., where it absorbs the 
escaping gases, saving them for fertilizers and purifying 
the air. When used as a fertilizer it should be applied 
to growing crops and in small quantities, one hundred 
pounds to the acre being a sufficient dressing. It is best 
to sow it when the dew is on the grass or. on a damp day 
so that it will adhere to the leaves. The most notable 
advantage in plaster is obtained in its use on the clover 
crop. Sown on this it not only largely increases the crop 
but increases its value as a fertilizer. An interesting 



PULVERIZATION. 67 

statement was made by a farmer at an agricultural meet- 
ing which I attended, which was, that an application of 
a mixture of two parts of plaster to one of salt, at the 
rate of a barrel to eight acres saved his corn. from the 
cut-worm and largely increased the 3'ield. The corn Was 
on sod and the cut-worms kept it eaten to the ground 
before the application and continued to work on a part 
of the field on which the mixture was not applied, but 
in twenty-four hours had entirely disappeared from the 
part treated. 



PULVERIZATION. 

There is an adage that tillage is manure; but it is 
only of late j^ears that the value and impoi'tance of thor- 
ough pulverization of the soil has begun to be appre- 
ciated. 

There are two ways in which pulverization increases 
the crop: First, by enabling the plant to readily obtain 
from the soil the material it contains. Second, by actu- 
ally increasing the amount of plant food in the soil. 
The latter is the one we have to do with in this chapter, 
and there are two scientific principles that must be un- 
derstood before this matter can be made clear. 

Certain solid bodies possess the property of absorbing 
or taking up great quantities of gases and retaining 
them. Dry earth possesses this power in a remarkable 
degree, and the extent of it is in direct proportion to the 
minuteness of its division. The best possible disinfec- 
tant is now known to be dry earth, reduced to an im- 
palpable powder; in this form it completely destroys 
poisonous odors and gases by absorbing and retaining 
them in an innocuous form. Earth, in hard lumps, does 



68 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

not possess this property in an}^ perceptible degree, and 
a handful of dust is of more value as a disinfectant than 
a bushel of clods. 

The next principle is what is called capillar^^ attrac- 
tion. This is the power that porous bodies have of not 
only absorbing but of drawing up liquids. It is the 
principle that causes the oil to rise in the wick of a lamp. 
The power of porous bodies to thus elevate liquids is ex- 
actlj'' in proportion to the fineness of the pores. Hang a 
piece of coarse twine and a piece of very close, fine twine 
with the end of each dipping into a vessel of water, and 
it will be found that the water will rise much higher in 
the latter than in the former. 

A porous soil possesses this power of capillary attrac- 
tion, and hence can, during a dry season, draw up water 
from the moist subsoil below, exactly as a wick draws 
up the oil from the lamp, and its power to thus draw up 
moisture will be in exact proportion to the number and 
fineness of the pores it contains. It can be seen in a 
moment that the more thoroughly the soil is pulverized, 
the more pores there will be through it and the smaller 
they will be. A field of large clods will have compara- 
tively few openings to the subsoil below, and these open- 
ings so large that they have no power to draw up the 
lower moisture. A field of finely pulverized soil, on the 
other hand, will contain myriads of extremely minute 
pores, that will act like so many pumps. 

Now let us see how these two principles of "Absorp- 
tion" and "Capillary Attraction" combine to fertilize 
the well pulverized soil, and make true the statement 
that " tillage is manure." 

There are two great original sources of fertility, and 
from these, at some time, all fertility must come — the 
air above and the soil beneath. Ammonia, and other 



PULVERIZATION. 69 

substances essential to plant life, are constantly present 
in the atmosphere. The proportion is minute, but fully 
sufficient, if secured, to make rich and productive fields. 
Now, under the principle first laid down, of the power 
possessed by finel}^ pulverized earth to absorb and retain 
gaseous matters, it will be seen that a field, the surface 
of which is constantly kept finely pulverized, will be as 
constantly drinking up fertility from this unfailing 
source, and that tillage will thus be continually increas- 
ing the amount of plant food in the soil. 

But we consider the other permanent source of fer- 
tility — the subsoil. In this, decomposition is slowly 
but surely progressing, and plant food is being set free 
in an available form; the moisture of the subsoil is con- 
stantly charged with useful salts. If we can but draw 
these up within the reach of the crops, we shall again 
increase the supply of food in the surface soil. 

Thorough pulverization of the soil, by bringing into 
play the principle of capillary attraction, will draw up 
this moisture, with its fertilizing salts, and thereby en- 
rich the surface soil. 

To test this matter, take two boxes, spread in the bot- 
tom of each a couple of inches of wet earth; then in the 
one put about three inches of small hard clods, and in the 
other three inches of finely pulverized, diy, mellow soil. 
In but a short time, the earth in the latter box will be 
found moist to the top, while the clods will scarcely be 
affected. 

Pulverization acts as a fertilizer in yet auother way: 
Chemical decompositions are constantly taking place in 
the soil, by reason of which material that has previously 
been valueless, is made available as plant food. The 
more finely the soil is pulverized, the more rapidly and 
thoroughly will these changes take place. 



70 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

We find, then, that "tillage is manure," because: 

The finely pulverized soil absorbs valuable elements 
of fertility from the atmosphere; 

Because it draws up fertilizing material from the sub- 
soil below; and 

Because it makes available, material already existing 
in the soil. 



ROTATION OF CROPS. 

This may at first be thought to belong to the matter 
of cultivation, but a closer examination of the subject 
will soon demonstrate the fact that rotation, as well as 
pulverization, is a real method for increasing the fer- 
tility of the soil, and therefore ma}'' properly be consid- 
ered under the head of " Fertilization." 

Every farmer knows that if a certain crop is grown 
year after year on the same field without change, rest, or 
the addition of fertilizers, that the yield will continually 
decrease until the soil will at last refuse to produce this 
crop at all. 

It is also known that if, after a soil has been thus -in- 
jured, it be allowed to lie idle for one season, a portion 
of its fertility will return, and the same crop will grow 
again. From this arose the plan of allowing a field to lie 
"follow." 

But it has also been found that after a field has been 
exhausted b}' continuous cultivation of one crop until it 
will produce that crop no more, a diff"erent crop may be 
Successfully grown. The reason for this latter fact is 
very simple and easy to be understood. Each plant 
draws from the soil certain elements of fertility — ele- 
ments which, though absolutely essential to plant-life. 



Rotation of cuors. 71 

form but a comparatively minute portion of the soil. 
Continuous cropping with one crop may, therefore, so 
completely exhaust the soil of those elements necessary 
for that crop that no more can be grown. But different 
crops differ in their needs, and after a soil has been ex- 
hausted of the elements necessary for the growth of 
some one crop, it may still contain the elements needed 
by another. This explains why a crop may be grown 
on a soil that has been exhausted by another; but it 
does not yet explain how it is that after the second crop 
has been grown for some years — even without the addi- 
tion of manures by the farmer — the soil will be found to 
have regained, in a measure, its capability for produc- 
ing the first crop. 

The reason is that Nature is continually laboring to 
restore the ravages produced by the hand of reckless man. 
Locked in the soil, and especially in the subsoil, are al- 
most inexhaustible sources of fertilit}^, which, by the 
forces of chemical decomposition continually going on, 
are slowly but surely being unlocked and prepared for 
future use. The rains and dews bring needed elements 
from the air above, and the absorptive power of the 
earth is continually gathering them. Thus, even while 
one crop is growing. Nature is preparing the soil for an- 
other. Thus we see that rotation is a real though slow 
process of fertilization. It is, in fact, the method by 
which the farmer may avail himself of Nature's recuper- 
ative powers. 

If, in addition to this, the rotation is accompanied by 
the application of barn-j'ard or commercial manures, 
and includes every few years a crop like clover, tliat is 
especially adapted to draw from the air above and the 
earth beneath, food needed for other plants, we see how 
rotation can be made one of the most useful means of 



72 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

fertilization which the judicious fanner can control. 

What constitutes a good system of rotation? 

This must vary with every locality and every soil. 
"What would be the best rotation in one place might be 
totally inapplicable in another. Over a large section of 
our Western country rotation will usually include corn, 
wheat, oats, clover and, probably, grass. 

Let us suppose the farmer has a soil well adapted to 
diversified farming, as in the larger portion of our West- 
ern land. He can make a good rotation as follows: 

First year, corn; 

Second j'ear, corn ; 

Third year, oats, flax, or spring barley, followed by 
wheat in the fall ; 

Fourth year, sow clover on the wheat in the spring; 
harvest the wheat and leave the clover to grow ; 

Fifth 3'ear, either pasture or mow the clover, allowing 
a good growth to form and ripen in the fall, ready to be 
plowed under the 

Sixth year, for corn, when the rotation begins again. 

This rotation may be shortened, by seeding down to 
wheat among the corn, in the fall of the second year, 
and omitting the crop of flax or spring grain. But, as 
in some sections of the country wheat on corn land is 
less certain and less productive than on stubble ground, 
it is best in such localities, if the spring crops can profit- 
ably be grown, to include them in the rotation. 

There are some farms specially adapted to wheat- 
growing, and on which it is the most profitable crop. 
On such farms, the wise cultivator will of course ar- 
range his rotation so as to bring in wheat as often in a 
given number of years as possible, without injury to the 
soil. The rotation should include but a single crop of 
corn, which, if in a section where it can be done, should 



ROTATION Ol" CUOI'S. 73 

be seeded to wheat in the full, and by the use of barn- 
yard or commercial fertilizers, the course may consist of 
four years — one crop of corn, two of wheat and one of 
clover. 

The rotation can be lengthened by sowing timothy 
■with the wheat in the fall, following with clover in the 
spring, cutting two crops of mixed clover and timothy, 
pasturing one year, and then breaking for corn again. 

One most excellent farmer of my acquaintance, who 
has a large ti*act of land specially adapted to' corn, has 
pursued the following rotation, with the result of 
largely increasing the productiveness of the land, and 
at the same time securing heavy crops: Two crops of 
corn are grown; the second fall the corn is cut up, and 
the land seeded in wheat; clover is sown on the wheat 
the next spring and left to grow after harvest. The fol- 
lowing summer, after the clover has attained a good 
growth, hogs are turned on and kept on it all summer. 
In the fall he feeds the hogs on the field, having the corn 
scatterered in a different place each day, and the cobs 
and droppings of the pigs are thus spread evenly over 
the field. The following spring he breaks again for corn, 
grows two crops and follows with wheat, clover, hogs, as 
before. 

At what point of the rotation should the manure be 
applied? 

This is an important question, and one which each 
farmer must answer for himself by the use of thought, 
observation and common sense. There is no place where 
empiricism is more ruinous than on the farm. Farmer 
A. plows his manure under for corn, and succeeds, and 
Farmer B., with a totally different soil, very illogically 
concludes that the same plan will be successful with 
him. Farmers who would have success in farming. 



74 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

must learn to study the reasons for certain actions. 

The opinion of many of our best farmers is, that the 
best place in the rotation for the application of manure 
is on the wheat crop, used as a top dressing shortly be- 
fore seeding. The reasons for this are given in other 
sections of this chapter. In some cases, as where the 
soil is naturally rank — as in some of our bottom farms 
— such application may prove actually injurious, caus- 
ing the wheat to grow too sappy and succulent, and 
lodge. In such cases it is often best to use the barn- 
yard manure as a top dressing to the corn crop, and use 
bone meal, or super-phosphate, drilled in with the 
wheat. 

There are cases — in heavy, cold, retentive soils — 
where the coarse manure may profitably be spread on 
the field during winter and plowed under for corn. Its 
mechanical action loosens the soil, while the retentive 
character of the land prevents undue waste. On light, 
and especially on leachy soils, the plowing under of 
coarse manure is undoubtedly a wasteful and unprofita- 
ble practice. 

Land plaster (gypsum) when attainable at a reason- 
able price, may almost always be profitably applied to 
the clover crop. Sown broadcast in the spring, it deep- 
ens the color, increases the growth, and usually has a 
marked beneficial effect on the succeeding crop of coi'n. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH MANURE. 

Before leaving the subject of fertilization, I wish to 
suggest some experiments easily tried, and mention 
some which I have tried. It is a matter of interest to 
know what a load of manure is worth on the different^ 



EXPERIMENTS WITH MANURE. 75 

crops, and one or more experiments each year in this 
line will be profitable. Manure, like certain funds once 
used in Congress, should be placed where it will do the 
most good. Calling a half cord of rotted, well compost- 
ed manure a load, apply it to a tenth of an acre of each 
of the different crops, and then compare with an equal 
unmanured plot and see what the increase is. It might 
be well, on such crops as potatoes and corn, to try ap- 
plying it broadcast and in the hill, making that used in. 
the hill cover more land. Another experiment, and one 
especially to be tried with wheat crops, is plowing un- 
der the manure on one part, and using it as a top dress- 
ing on an adjoining one. 

The fining of manure is another thing that should be 
made a matter of experiment. Put a load of manure in 
the usual condition on a tenth acre, as a top dressing 
for wheat, and then pulverize as fine as possible an equal 
amount and apply to just double the amount of land. 
If you get the manure almost fine enough to screen, I 
think 3^ou will find a larger yield of wheat from half the 
amount of manure when finely pulverized. 

Another experiment to show whether it will pay to 
have sheds for our manure, would be valuable. Take a 
load of manure from a stable, where it has been allowed 
to accumulate, and which contains the liquid as well as 
the solid, and apply it alongside of a plot manured with 
that from the barn-yard. It is often a question with 
the farmer who has a ten-acre wheat field to sow, and 
fifty loads of manure for it, whether it is better to ma- 
nure one-half and leave the remainder unmanured, or 
to give a light coating to the whole field. This is a 
very important matter, and one that should be fully set- 
tled by repeated experiment. 

Every farmer should know what eflTect bone-meal. 



76 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

super-phosphate, and other commercial fertilizers at his 
command will have upon his soil, and this he cannot 
know except by actual test. If $3 worth of bone will 
give $5 to $10 worth of extra wheat on an acre, as without 
doubt it does on some soils, he can then afford to apply 
his home supply of manure to less land, and use ground 
bone on the remainder. 

In estimating the value of manure, we arc to take into 
consideration: First, the increased yield of the crop to 
which it is applied. Second, its effect in enabling a crop 
to resist enemies. Third, the increased earliness of the 
crop, and its greater value on this account. Fourth, the 
length of time that the manure will act on crops, either 
directly or through a fertilizing crop which it enables 
us to grow. In order to test the first, we should always 
leave a strip without manure to compare with. The second 
item is of greater importance than many imagine, for 
the extra vitality which manure gives will enable a plant 
to successfully resist what would be fatal to a weak, 
sickly one. We often see this in a wheat field on im- 
poverished soil, where one part of the field has been ma- 
nured. While the unmanured part is winter-killed, or 
destroyed by the Qy, or eaten up by chinch bug, or 
blighted by rust, the part manured resists each and all 
these malign influences, and makes a good crop. The 
same tbing may be seen in growing potatoes. I have 
never seen the Colorado beetles injure materially the 
crop on highly manured land. Wlien tlie season was 
good and they were well cultivated, the vines would 
grow right away from the bugs ; but let the soil be poor, or 
cultivation neglected, and the Colorados soon have the 
mastery. The advantage of manure in hastening the 
maturity of crops is of greater importance to the gar- 
dener than to the farmer, as the prices of his products 



EXPERIMENTS WITH MANURE. 77 

arc largely determined by their carliness, two or three 
days' difference la the maturity of the crop sometimes 
making a difference of one- half in the price. It would 
be an interesting experiment, particularly on our strong, 
clay, limestone soils, to ascertain how long the effects of 
manure could be noticed on the crops, and thus to 
be able to give a better idea of the value of manure. 
This could be easily found out, at least approximately, 
by growing c-ops on a manured plot, and by the side of 
it on an unmanured one, and followng it up, weighing 
the product of each as long as they showed any differ- 
ence. You would at the same time be finding out the 
value of your load of manure. These experiments should 
include nightsoil, poultry manure, land plaster, or any- 
thing available, which promises to furnish directly or 
indirectl}^ food for the plant. Tanbart can bo burned, 
and an ash, rich in phosphoric acid, formed. Sawdust 
can be carbonized by burning in pits, li e charcoal, and 
may be exceedingly valuable on some soils. Those living 
near elevators, where thousands of bushels of corn cobs 
accumulate, can experiment with them by composting or 
burning. And if we keep our ej^es open, we shall find in 
almost any locality waste products which we may utilize. 
I have been much interested in burning straw or stub- 
ble on the surface, especially where land is to be pre- 
pared for wheat. I have experimented to some extent, 
and am convinced that all straw that can be spared can 
be used profitably by spreading it on the surface and 
burning. It should be spread thickly enough so as to 
burn the soil a little. I shall give an account of some 
experiments with various manures in a chapter on ex- 
periments with wheat.* 

*Burning straw spread on the ground is certainly an immense 
improvement on the custom adopted in some parts of the West 



78 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

I tried an interesting experiment with wheat bran as 
a manure two years ago. I mixed fifty pounds of bran 
with an equal bulk of rich mould, and wet it with leach- 
ings from the manure pile. As soon as it had heated, I 
leveled off the pile and stirred occasionally until the 
heat had subsided, and in a few weeks it was thoroughl}'' 
decomposed. I planted a half acre of Peach-blow pota- 
toes on a poor clay knob, on which corn did not make 
over fifteen bushels per acre the previous season. I ma- 
nured alternate rowis with a single handful of this i,n'e- 
pared bran to the hill, using at the rate of five hundred 
pounds of the bran to the acre, and as bran cost but $10 
per ton, the cost, besides the labor, would have been but 
$2.50 per acre. By the time the potatoes had been 
planted a month, the rows treated with the bran were 
six inches taller, and of a better color, and all through 
the growing season the difference in the rows was plainly 
discernable. At digging time I took a pair of steel- 
yards to the field, and would dig down a manured row 
till I got a basket full and then weigh and empty them, 
and dig back on the unmanured row. I cannot now re- 
fer to the record which I made of this experiment; but 
I remember that several times the manured row gave 

of burning it in the stack, or of thrashing on the bank of a 
stream and allowing the straw to be floated away. Tiie most 
valuable constituent of straw is the mineral portion, which, of 
course, is left in the ash, and when the straw is burned on the 
surface of the field tiiis is left in a very available form. But all 
this is secured when the straw is rotted in tlie manure pile, and 
much nitrogenous matter is also saved that is inevitul)ly lost 
when the straw is burned. It is therefore chemically certain 
that a ton of straw has a greater manurial value when rotted in 
the manure pile, than when burned. And when we consider 
the incidental value of straw in absorbing and retaining the 
liquid portion of the manure, I think it will be seen that it must 
be under very exceptional circumstance, and on farms where 
the amount of stock kept is very small, when it will pay to burn 
straw. R. s. T. 



MY OWN EXPERIENCE. 79 

double, and in no case less than a half more, while the 
quality was very superior. The extra potatoes produced 
in the rows on which the bran mixture was used did not 
cost eight cents a bushel. 

This question of experimenting with manures- is one 
of great interest, and every intelligent farmer should do 
something in this line each year. A record of such ex- 
periments becomes exceedingly valuable to refer to. 

Farm experiments are valuable in their influence on 
the man, in making him more accurate and observing 
and familiar with the m^'sterious works of nature. They 
are also absolutely necessary to the proper understand- 
ing of what is best to do on his own farm, as soils and 
conditions vary to such an extent that the experiments 
of another, under different conditions, may not be bene- 
licial to-him. 



MY OWN EXPERIENCE. 

BRINGING UP A RUN-DOWN FIELD. 

As I know farmers like to see theory put to a practi- 
cal test, I will give an item of my own experience in the 
matter of restoring lost fertility. In the year 1877, I 
bou;j;ht at a low price fifty acres of worn land. I had 
lived adjoining it for nearly thirty years, and had seen 
every crop grown on it in that time, and, as nearly as I 
can recollect, it had not once produced over twelve bush- 
els of wheat or twenty-five of corn to the acre. It had 
received little or no manure, and when seeded to grass 
or clover was usually so overstocked as to receive no 
benefit. Twenty-five acres of it was level enough for 
good plow land, but was divided diagonally by two wet 



80 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

strips which could not be plowed. When I bought it, it 
was rented for the season, and every available foot of it 
plowed for corn so I did not get possession till the fall 
of 1877. The crop on it for that year was like all I had 
seen before, very poor, the corn making about twenty 
bushels to the acre, and as the season was a wet one the 
ground was covered with a heavy growth of foxtail. We 
sowed seven acres in wheat where the corn had been cut 
up, and, on accout of the foxtail, got it in badly, and the 
result was Ijut four and a half bushels to the acre of in- 
ferior grain, but a good stand of clover. In the spring 
of 1878 we sowed fifteen acres in oats, and put the re- 
mainder in corn, potatoes, and beans, but the only 
encouraging feature of this year was that on the oats 
and wheat ground we got a good stand of clover and 
grass. That fall I laid eighty rods of tile and sowed 
eleven acres of wheat where beans, potatoes and corn 
had grown. We manured one half of it with barn-yard 
manure, used a little bone meal, and put it in as well as 
we could, and our wheat from this field was 241 bushels 
or about 22 bushels to the acre. We got a fair crop of 
clover hay on ten acres of the land where the poor wheat 
and bats had grown; laid fifty rods more of tile in the 
last wet strip, and in July plowed up twenty one acres 
for wheat. Eleven acres of this was the same that had 
yielded the twenty-two bushels of wheat to the acre, and 
the balance was clover stubble and included the seven 
acres of land that grew the poor wheat crop in 1877. I 
should not have plowed the eleven acres but on account 
of a dry spring we failed to get a stand of clover. We 
hauled out manure and top-dressed the part of the eleven 
acres that had not been manured the preceding jear. 
Our wheat crop was good, averaging over twenty bush- 
els per acre, but that on the clover stubble was very 



MY OWN EXPERIENCE. 81 

much heavier than that on the Avheat stubble where the 
manure had been applied, and we had a fine stand of 
clover on the entire field. 

The fifty .acres of land is now divided into two fields. 
The broken part, which has never-failing springs, is 
seeded down for permanent pasture, and we have this 
fall, 1881, sown twenty-five acres of wheat on the level 
part, and it promises well for a crop. I think I have 
fully doubled the value of the plow land, and notwith- 
standing the first crops grown were so poor, the land 
has paid a fair interest on capital invested. It will thus 
be seen that in the short space of four years, a piece of 
land so worn as to be of little value, has, by tileing, ro- 
tation, a moderate use of manure, commercial fertilizers 
and clover, been brought to a condition of reasonable 
fertility, and at the same time has yielded crops that 
have paid the cost of the improvement. 



CHAPTER YIII. 



HIRED HELP. 



With all modern improvements there is still enough 
work to do on the farm to make the "hired help" prob- 
lem one not easy to solve. If the farmer determines to 
do without hired lielp, he is pretty sure to overwort< and 
neglect many things that are necessary. One man on a 
farm of any size is not enough, for there are so many 
jobs to be done around the house and barn, in the gar- 
den, repairing fences, making errands to town, etc., that 
the team must stand idle much of the time or these nec- 
essary things be neglected. The farmer who attempts 
to do all his farm work and care for his stock, will have 
no time or heart for anything else. He will be too 
wearied to read or even to converse when night comes; 
and life will have little meaning to him. His lot will be 
harder than that of a day laborer, for in addition to his 
work he will have the care and responsibility of the farm 
resting upon him. 

There is still another view of this subject. The world 
is full of people who can never rise above the condition 
of laborers, and who are dependent for support upon the 
labor of their hands, and it is wiser and better than 
charity, to give employment to such. Every man who 
gives to another employment at a fair compensation, is 
a public benefactor, and has a right to make a profit 
from the labor so employed. 

No one can hope to acquire much property simply by 



HIRED HELP. 83 

his own manual labor. It is only as he has the capacity 
to employ and direct the labor of others that he can ex- 
pect to realize a competency. 

I believe the Bible clearly teaches the duty of making 
money. It is taught in the parable of the talents, and 
when we are exhorted to be "diligent in business," it 
becomes both a dut}^ and a privilege to use our ability 
in making money. The more labor we can profitably 
employ on our farms, then, the better it is for our fami- 
lies and the community. 

But there is another side to this question, and that 
is the care and labor which must often come upon the 
wife from bringing hired help into the house to board, 
and thus increasing the size of her family. No success in 
farming, or increase in wealth, will pay the man for 
working his wife into the grave, or breaking down her 
health. It is better that the farmer should hire married 
men who will board themselves, if his wife is not able 
to do the work; and this can often be done as cheaply 
as hiring single men, if you can furnish the man a house 
and garden. 

In an}^ case, I believe that it is best to pay fair wages. 
I doubt if anything is made in hiring a man by jewing 
him down to the lowest point. The man who feels that 
he has been treated badly in the bargain made, will not 
be likely to work with much enthusiasm. 

While I would advise that a memorandum be made, 
covering all the points of contract, experience has taught 
me that it is not wise to make a contract for a given 
time. I do not want to be obliged to keep a hand that 
proves dishonest, immoral or inefficient; and I do not 
want a hand bound to me v/ho is dissatisfied. I think 
it better to have it so the relation can be severed by 
either party at any time. I like, however, the plan of a 



84 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

bonus in case a hand is trusty and faithful ; but it should 
be a bonus and not wages which he can claim. 

Suppose that a hand is hired for eight months at $16 
a month, with a memorandum that either may terminate 
the engagement on a week's notice. After the bargain 
is made, you say to him: "If I find you faithful and 
obliging, I shall pay you ten cents a day extra for every 
day you work. If I do not find j'^ou so, I shall not keep 
you; so if you work for me until the eight months are 
expired, you will get this amount." By doing this, you 
are giving him a motive to do his best. The extra ten 
cents a day will amount to quite a sum in the eight 
months-:— enough to buy a good suit of clothes. 

It is wise to have a frank and full understanding with 
a work-hand at the start, as to what you expect of him; 
and what must, and must not, be done. For example, 
some hands are cruel to horses. It is better to tell a 
hand at the start that your team is not to be whipped. 
Some young men think they have a right to go to town 
every night, and come into the house at midnight, dis- 
turbing the family, or get back at breakfast-time in the 
morning, after the chores are done. If you do not choose 
to permit these things, it should be so understood in the 
beginning. Where two or more hands are kept on the 
.farm, there is often trouble and jealousy as to who shall 
drive the team, or as to what particular work shall be 
done by each. All these matters should be talked over 
in the beginning, and put in the memorandum. 

If you expect a farm-hand to do any uncommon work, 
such as ditching, well-diggina;, or quarrying stone, it 
should be talked over and fully understood, or else he 
should have extra pay for it. 

It would be well to say that in haying, or harvest, or 
occasionally when some job was pressing, you should 



HIRED HELP. 85 

want extra hours work, but that you would always make 
them up by stopping work early on special occasions. 
The first thing necessary to get along pleasantly with 
hired help, is a perfect understanding between the par 
ties, and all that is necessary afterwards is, to keep in 
mind the " Golden Rule." 

A good emploj^er goes far towards making a good liired 
hand. 

On a farm where but one team is kept, by keeping a 
hired hand, the husband can have leisure to do much to 
relieve the wife. He can draw the water, carjy in the 
wood, gather the vegetables, and do many things which 
will save the extra steps which wear out the wife and 
break her constitution. When extra work is caused by 
the Irired man, unless good help can be found for the 
wife, the husband should consider it his duty to help her. 

There is a great advantage in having a hired man on 
the farm, so that in an emergency you can do extra 
work. There often comes a week of wet weather, so 
that the ground cannot be stirred in the growing season. 
When the weather becomes settled and the land ready 
to work, everything is pushing. The weeds have started, 
and every foot of land under cultivation needs imme- 
diate attention. Perhaps a field of clover or wheat is 
almost ready to cut. Under such circumstances, a day's 
work is often worth five dollars, and as others are pushed 
as well, you may not be able to get help, unless 3'ou have 
it permanently. 

There is one way of getting along without hired help, 
and that is b}^ renting a part or all the fields for grain 
rent. I make a broad distinction between renting the 
farm and renting the fields. With human nature what 
it is, it is almost impossible to find a tenant who will 
keep a farm in good condition if left in sole possession. 



86 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

The farmer who remains on his farm and rents out fields, 
whether for grain or money rent, keeps control of the 
land, and is on the farm to see that ever^^thing goes 
right. I like the plan of renting on the thirds, the land- 
lord furnishing team, tools and seed, and the tenant the 
laijor. This gives a young man a better chance for a 
start in life, and as he has an interest in the crop, 
he will naturally be more energetic and pushing than if 
hired. The farmer who wishes to try the experiment of 
renting, does not need to sell otf his teams if he rents in 
this way, and if he is not pleased with it, can take the 
farm back under his own management without being 
obliged to buy teams and implements again. The farmer 
may not make quite so much money who- manages his 
farm in this way as if he worked it all himself, but he 
will enjoy more of life and will be likely to keep his 
farm in better condition; and if he reserves ten or fif- 
teen acres of his richest land on which he will do his 
best to grow heavy crops, he will not be in danger of 
falling into habits of idleness, and will probably find his 
profits as great at the end of the 3'ear as when he had 
the worry and care of the entire farm. 

On a good farm I think an energetic j^OTing man can 
usually, farming on ihe thirds, make double what he can 
working by the month, and he will be more independent. 
Many of our wealthy and successful farmers began life 
in this way. 

This matter of hired help or renting out our lands, is 
one of great importance, and one in which the farmer 
should always counsel with his wife, for her interest and 
comfort are often more concerned in the matter than his, 
and I believe that in a majority of cases her judgment 
would be better. 



CHAPTER IX. 



FARM IMPLEMENTS. 

I doubt whether the young farmers of to-day appreci- 
ate what progress has been made in agricultural imple- 
ments. They of course understand how perfect and well 
adapted to the work are the numberless inventions which 
make the term "farm drudgery" almost a thing of the 
past; but they can scarcely realize that only a generation 
ago it was common for a large farm to be managed with 
so few implements that twentj^-five dollars would be an 
extravagant price for the lot. 

Good crops were grown on the virgin soil when a 
shovel plow and clumsy iron tooth harrow were the only 
implements used, if we except a ponderous hoe made by 
the blacksmith, with which the sprouts around the 
stumps were cut down. Even when inventive genius 
first turned attention to the wants of the farmer, success 
was only partial, for the first reapers were clumsy horse- 
killing aff"airs requiring four horses and two men to do 
less work less perfectly than the self- raker of to-day does 
with two horses and one man, not to speak of the self- 
binder. The first corn-planter hardly foreshadowed 
those that were to come, and when in ransacking some 
barn-loft we find one of these old implements hidden 
awa3% they need to be labeled to enable one who has 
never seen them to know what they were designed for. 

While with the improvement in agricultural imple- 
ments more capital is required to manage the farm, bet- 



88 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

ter culture for the farm, and I may add for the farmer 
and his family, is made possible. The life of the farmer 
need no longer be that unvarying round of drudgery it 
was a generation ago, for more can now be accomplished 
in one day than could be then in two, and certainly it is 
the farmer's own fault if he do not take time to cultivate 
his mind. 

One thing seems to be settled, and that is, that all the 
demands of the farmer can be met by the inventive 
genius of the age, and there is no operation of the farm 
but what can be done, or at least assisted, by machinery. 
The prophecy of to-day becomes the reality of to-morrow; 
the progress of the past generation is more than that of 
the five thousand j'ears preceding it. The farmer has 
but to make known a want and it is met. 

I cannot attempt to catalogue the implements in use 
on the farm ; doubtless there are many which I have 
never seen, and it is not the design of this article to de- 
scribe them in detail. I wish simply to give a few prac- 
tical hints on the matter. 

Although it requires quite an amount of capital to buy 
farm implements, there is one great saving connected 
with their use. One man and team can do as much work 
and do it better, than two men and teams could without 
them, and, as the extra man and team must be boarded, 
this goes far to compensate for the cost of the machinery. 

In bujdng farm implements we must keep in mind 
several qualifications: such as strength, durability, 
adaptation to our farms and the work we wish to 
accomplish. Good implements will be found cheapest 
in the long run and although the reader has noticed 
that I have advised economy, and held up debt as a 
monster evil to be shunned, I believe that it would 
be wise to borrow money if necessary and buy good 



FARM IMPLEMENTS. 89 

new implements rather than farm with poor second-hand. 

Be sure you need an implement before you buy it. 
There are farmers who allow oily tongued agents to ca- 
jole them into purchasing every new thing that comes 
along, until they have on hand machinery for which they 
have no use and which is a disadvantage to them. 

There is a fine field for co-operation in the ownership 
or use of agricultural machinery. Many implements 
will answer for two neighboring farmers as well as for 
one, and b}^ a mutual agreement they may effect quite a 
saving. In most cases it would be better that each 
should own a part of the implements, and exchange 
rather than to have a joint ownership in each implement. 
For example: if one buys a reaper, the other can buy a 
wheat drill, horse rake, and corn-planter which will cost 
a like sum. One can buy the roller, and the other a 
disc or some other one of the improved harrows. 

Any one of these implements is sufficient for two 
farmers if they have less than one hundred and fifty 
acres of land each, and with a fair understanding and 
agreement, there need not be any trouble in their co- 
operative use. 

A practical point in which many farmers fail is the 
care of tools. If expensive implements are left exposed 
to the weather the loss and deterioration from this cause 
will be much greater than from use. There should be a 
place for them, and they stored in it when out of use. 
It is better usually to build a shed for this purpose, 
than to to keep them in the barn, but whatever place is 
assigned them see that they are kept there. I would 
recommend painting with crude petroleum all the wood 
of farm implements, it costs but a trifle, and wood work 
thoroughly saturated with it will be uninjured by ex- 
posure to the weather, and as all our implements must 



90 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

be exposed to some extent this painting will be found 
profitable. 

One piece of machinery I think many ftirmers might 
profitably own, is a small thrashing machine. There are 
now made excellent two-horse thrashers, the cost of 
which is comparatively small, and with which a farmer 
can — with the regular help of the farm, and in the bad 
weather of winter, thrash his own grain. He can thus 
save the worry, haste and hard work of "thrashing da}"-" 
— and remove one of the greatest terrors of woman's 
work upon the farm — feeding an army of thrashermen. 
When a farm is too small to justify the purchase of a 
machine, a suitable arrangement could often be made 
and two or three farmers hold one in partnership. 

The light of the present time shows that co-operation 
or mutual help, is to be one of the great means for in- 
creasing the profits of the farm, and relieving the bur- 
dens connected with farm life. . 

It might seem almost unnecessary work to call the 
attention of farmers to the importance of having imple- 
ments and machinery in condition to do their best work, 
but unfortunately the number of farmers whojnay be 
daily seen wasting their strength and the strength of 
their teams and work hands with machines that work 
hard for lack of a little oil or adjustment, or with tools 
that need the grindstone, shows the necessity of consid- 
ering the matter. 

Solomon said: "If the iron be blunt, and he do not 
whet the edge, tlien must he put to more strength," but 
some farmers — principally of the class, I suppose, who 
expect to make their wa}^ through the world by muscu- 
lar strength rather than by the exercise of thought, seem 
to prefer " putting to more strength " rather than put 
the tool or machine in order. 



FARM IMPLEMENTS. 91 

No labor pays a larger profit than that expended in 
putting machinery in order and getting tools sharp. 
A good grindstone well hung, and set in some place 
where it will be protected from the weather and can be 
readily used should be regarded as indispensable on the 
farm. Axes, hoes, mower knives, scythes, and all cut- 
ting tools should be kept with keen edges. No man can 
earn his wages working with a dull tool. Plows should 
be sharpened whenever they require it, and the time so 
spent will be time saved. One suggestion here; On 
farms where it is not thought worth while to keep more 
than one breaking plow, it will be well to buy the sec- 
ond before the first is entirely worn o'lt. — Then in pressing 
seasons the old plow can be called into service while the 
other is being sent to the shop to be sharpened. 

Mowers, reapers, drills, wagons, fanning mills, cutting 
boxes, buggies, and even the wheel barrow, one of the 
most necessary and useful implements on the farm, 
should never be allowed to suffer from lack of oil. Not 
only is machine grease cheaper than "elbow grease" 
but a machine will wear more in a day's work when need- 
ing oil, than in a week if properly lubricated. Use the 
best oil; — for most machinery and for buggy and wagon 
spindles, castor oil is the cheapest and best. Do not buy 
this of your druggist at -50 cents a pint, a second grade 
can be purchased wholesale at from .50 to 80 cents a gal- 
lon which is as good as the best for a lubricant. 

An occasional going over a machine with a wrench, 
tightening all nuts that h'ave become loose, will add 
greatly to its longevity. Whenever a piece of machinery 
begins to rattle, destructive wear is going on with great 
rapidity. As a rule, the more silently any piece of ma- 
chinery works the better work it is doing.* 

*This rule is applicable to men as to machinery, b. b. t. 



92 



SUCCESS IN FARMING. 



When a nut shows a disposition to constantl}^ come 
loose, a leather washer should be placed under it, and the 
nut screwed tight home on that, and as a final resort, for 
a badly fitting nut, or in an emergency, a piece of twine 
may be wrapped several times around the bolt beyond 
the nut and tightly tied. 

Implements when about to be put away for the season 
should be carefully cleaned and overhauled. Don't stand 
them away with all the dirt of service on them. It is 
also a good plan before j^ou need any particular imple- 
ment to go and examine it and see it is all ready. This 
may save you serious delay and loss in the working 
season. 

Implements used in the soil, such as plows, hoes, 
spades, etc., should never be left standing, even for a 
night, with the soil adhering to them. It rapidly causes 
them to become rough and rusty — making them difficult 
to work with or to clean. 

The man who would have success in farming, should 
take as much pride in the condition of his implements as 
in the condition of his stock. 



CHAPTER X. 



WHEAT. 



In large areas of our country wheat is the most im- 
portant crop to the farmer. It is easily stored, with but 
little risk of damage if he wish to hold it for an advance, 
and is always in demand and brings the cash in market. 
It is not as bulky as corn, and as its average price is 
more than twice as much per bushel, a team will draw 
to market about four times as many dollars' worth of 
wheat as of corn in a given time. 

Wheat can be grown successfully on rolling lands 
which would soon be ruined by washing if kept in corn, 
and we can grow a clover crop with it to enrich the land. 
All these considerations make wheat a popular and im- 
portant crop to the farmer. 

Probabl}' there is no crop which gives as good returns 
for manure and thorough preparation of the soil as this. 
There has been great improvement in the preparation of 
seed bed among the farmers of Ohio during the past few 
years, and it has resulted in a large increase in the yield 
per acre. I have examined the statistics of Ohio, as it 
is one of the best winter wheat States, and I see that for 
eight 3'ears, beginning with 1858, there was a succession 
of poor crops and a great falling off in the yield per acre. 
Then for five years there was a large gain, there being a 
series of favorable years. From 1872 to 1876 we had a 
series of unfavorable seasons, the crop of 1876 in Ohio 
aggregating, in round numbers, but 15,000,000 bushels. 



94 tUCCESS IN FARMING. 

with an average of 10 bushels per acre. In 1877, we 

grew 27,000,000, with an average per acre of nearly 16 

bushels. 1879 gave us 35,000,000, Avith an average per 

acre of 16 bushels. I have referred to these statistics 

simply to illustrate one fact, which is this: A series of 

good years leads to the sowing of g, large acreage of 

wheat, and much is badly put in and on poor land; and 

when an unfavorable year comes, the average yield per 

acre is cut down largely by the crops on these poor, 

badly prepared fields. On the other hand, a series of 

poor crops not only causes a falling off in acreage, but 

leads to a more careful preparation of the soil. There is 

no crop grown on the farm that pays so well for extra 

work as this, and it is encouraging to know there are 

farmers who grow paying crops through bad as well as 

good 3'ears. 

How can we insure uniform and profitable wheat crops? 

There are several points to be attended to, one of the 

most important of which is drainage. If the land can 

be thoroughly under-drained it will be best; but where 

this cannot be done, we must accomplish what we can 

by surface drainage. By plowing properly and opening 

furrows in the right direction, heavy crops may be grown 

on land which would not give a crop worth harvesting 

where this was neglected, hay it down as a rule, that a 

profitable wheat crop cannot be grown on laud where the 

water will stand. Dr. Townshend, in a lecture before 

the Ohio State Board of Agriculture, in 1879, said: 

" I have often liarvested over thirty bushels -of wlicat to the 
acre on nearly flat clay soils by rounding the lands and opening 
the furrows. If any one ol)jects to these furrows as a nuisance, 
I will answer that the greatest of all nuisances is a poor crop." 

He further states : 

" I one year underdrained a part of a field at a cost of ,$22.50 
per acre, and at harvest it yielded twenty bushels more per 
acre than the undrained part of the field, and as the crpp 



WHEAT. 95 

brought $1.25 per bushel, the extra yield paid all the expense 
of draining, and left me a little in pocket." 

The next point in growing uniform and profitable 
wheat crops is 

PREPARATION OP SEED-BED, 

And there is no more important point connected with the 
crop. The maxim, " Tillage is manure," holds good here 
if anywhere. The best seed-bed for wheat is one that is 
compact below and fine and mellow at the surface; and 
to g-et this, it is essential that we plow early, and culti- 
vate frequently. I believe it would often be economy to 
pay five dollars an acre to have a wheat field plowed in 
July, rather than to have it done for nothing the middle 
of September. The farmer who has land to break should 
so arrange his work that everything else could wait if 
the kind is fit to plow early. After a heavy rain in July 
or August, it is quite often the case that there will follow 
a cool, cloudy spell of weather, when everything is favor- 
able Ibi- plowing. The land being moist and the weather 
cool, a team can plow twelve, or even fourteen, hours a 
day easier than they can ten a few days later, when the 
weather has become hot and the land dry. The wise 
farmer will improve such an opportunity to the utmost. 
Another important thing in preparing the seed-bed 
is to roll as soon as plowed, and I would always advise 
this unless the season was very wet and we were likely 
to have heavy rains to settle the land. If a good roller 
follow the plow each half day, the land can be pulver- 
ized and packed down as long as there is moisture 
enough to plow. If it is allowed to dry after plowing 
and before rolling, it is often weeks before there is rain 
enough so that it can be put in good condition; but if 
rolled at once, a light rain will make it fit for seeding. 
The farmer rarely, if ever, errs by putting too much 



96 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

work on his wheat land; and as with most of the imple- 
ments we use, we can go over a large surface in a day, it 
is not expensive. I have gone over a wheat field with 
harrow, roller and plank drag as many as seven times 
between plowing and seeding time, and been well paid 
for my labor. I have seen instances where a field was 
partly plowed and pulverized in Jul}^ and then on ac- 
count of dry weather the remainder left until September^ 
and the difierence in favor of the early plowed and pul- 
verized part was more than ten bushels per acre. 

When the season is such — as is sometimes the case*— 
that you must i)lo\v late and sow immediately, I would 
always recommend shallow plowing, for the land will not 
have time to settle so as to make a solid seed-bed, and 
you will not be as likely to pulverize eight inches well as 
you will four. There are two reasons why wheat does 
not do well on a deep, loose seed-bed: One, that it is 
likely to be covered too deeply, and the other, that it 
is more likely to freeze out, partly because the loose earth 
holds more water, and partly because the roots have not 
a firm hold in the loose soil. 

Where wheat follows corn, I would not, under any cir- 
cumstances, break the land up, because the plowing un- 
der of the corn butts would prevent getting the land 
packed sufficiently. I have seen many failures of the 
wheat crop from this cause. If obliged to plow late, by 
all means remove the clover or weeds from the land be- 
fore plowing. A heavy growth of either may be plowed 
under in July, for if you manage the land well they will 
decay and allow it to settle; but this will not be the case 
if not plowed until September, and the^' will greatly dam- 
age, and often ruin, the crop. In my judgment, it would 
and be better to be a week later in getting the wheat sown 
have the weeds or clover removed, than to plow them under. 



>\HEAT. 97 

1 Iiave never found an implement w hich gave better 
satisfaction in preparing the land for wheat than the disc 
harrow. This consists of a number of steel rolling cut- 
ters, dished a little, so as to turn a small furrow, and set 
at an angle in the frame. Thej^ cut and pulverize the 
surface completely; and unless it is very clodd}', if this 
harrow is passed over the field both ways and followed 
by the plank drag, it will give a perfect seed-bed. In 
very cloddy fields the roller should be used once or twice 
in addition. I do not like the old-fashioned tooth har- 
row for stirring the surface. The double corn plow, 
with small shovels, does this well, but the disc harrow 
does it better and more rapidly. 

DEPTH OF PLANTING. 

Some very careful experiments have been made at the 
Agricultural College at Lansing, Michigan, concerning 
the best depth for planting, the result of which I give in 
the table below. The first column shows the depth the 
seed was sown; second column the number of days be- 
fore it came up; third column the proportion of seed 
that grew: 

Depth. Days. Grew, 

irch 11 days • • .% 



% 
1 

2 
3 
4 
5 
6 



nc'U 12 " ..all 

nches IS " % 

iiches 20 " v% 

nc-hes 21 " % 

nches 22 " % 

nches 23 " .-. K4 



A plant from a seed sown too deep, and which comes 
up slowly, lacks the vigor and vitality of one planted at 
the proper depth. The best farmers of the present day 
recommend a depth of about an inch and a half. 

VARIETIES. 

Something ought to be said about varieties in this ar- 
ticle, and yet I know that I cannot recommend any par- 

7 



98 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

ticwlar variety that would suit all. Varieties often run 
out and become unprofitable, and the introduction of a 
new variety often increases the yield five, and sometimes 
ten, bushels to the acre. The introduction of the Fultz 
Wheat to Southern Ohio was worth an incalculable sura 
to our farmers, as it largely increased the yield. It has 
proved the most profitable wheat grown for the last six 
years, and is still holding its place. This matter of va- 
riety is of so much importance that I would recommend 
all large wheat-growers to experiment with one or two 
new varieties each year, if they can hear of those which 
promise well; but I would confine the experiment to a 
single acre. If it does well, it gives you enough seed for 
the coming year for quite a breadth, and if poorly, it is 
surely enough. I never discard a tried variety for a new 
one until the latter has been well tested. A single bushel 
of wheat, with expressage from a distance, is often ex- 
pensive; but if you get a really good variety that your 
neighbors will want for seed, it will pay you largely. 

EARLY AND LATE SEEDING. 

I have referred to the time of seeding when speaking 
of the preparation of ground. Some of the most success- 
ful wheat-growers of my acquaintance sow the last week 
in August and the first of September, and aside from 
the fact that there is more danger from the Hessian fly 
to this early sowing, it is to be commended. The fly, 
however, rarel}^ injures wheat that is strong and vigor- 
ous. I should always, if possible, have my land in con- 
dition to sow by the first of September, and be governed 
by the weather whether to sow at that time or wait a 
little. In looking over the record in my diary of my 
wheat crops for the last seven ^^ears, I find my best crop 
was sown the first week in September. But while in 
general I would advise early planting, I would not com- 



WHEAT. 99 

mend it at the expense of a well prepared seed-bed. 
Plant early if 3'ou can plant early and well; but plant 
late well, rather than early and badly. My heaviest crop 
of wheat in 1880 — over thirty bushels to the acre — was 
on a field sown October 8th ; and a neighbor of mine, a 
few years ago, harvested thirty-eight bushels per acre 
from a field sown after the middle of October. I do not 
quote these instances to encourage late seeding but to show 
that when, for any reason, early sowing is impossible, 
very good returns may be obtained by observing the 
rules for such cases in the preceding sections, namely : 
Remove, by burning or raking, weeds and clover before 
plowing; plow shallow and* pulverize thoroughly. 

I have for some years sown one bushel or less of 
seed to the acre, and feel quite sure that with the Fultz 
variety from three pecks to one bushel will produce all 
the land can support. When we remember that an av- 
erage head of wheat contains from thirty' to forty grains, 
and that every grain that grows must produce one head 
if anything, and may produce several, it is evident that 
when we sow a bushel and a half and reap but fifteen, 
that two-thirds of our seed has been wasted, for even at 
the smallest number of grains in a head, and but one 
head to a plant, the yield would be thirty fold. I speak 
further on this topic under the head of Experiments 
with Wheat. 

WHEAT ON CORN LAND. 

In all localities where corn is a leading crop, and 
where, as in Southern Ohio, oats are rarely profitable, it 
is usually necessary, in order to bring about a proper 
rotation, to sow wheat on corn land. There are many 
who consider this a slovenly method of farming, and I 
confess that, as often practiced, it is both slovenly and 
unprofitable. I know, however, from long experience 



100 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

and from observing others, that as good wheat can be 
grown on corn land as on stubble, and the expense of 
preparing the seed-bed will be ordinarily less. Two 
things are necessary if you expect to grow a good crop : 
You must keep your corn land free from weeds, and you 
must cut up the corn. If these two rules are observed, 
you can prepare an excellent seed-bed at a little expense. 

I do not wish to be understood as saying that a good 
crop of wheat can never be grown on a corn field that 
has been allowed to become weedy and grassy, or when 
sown in standing corn, for occasionally there may be, 
but more often it will fail. "What I do mean to say is, 
that a clean corn field, with 'the corn cut off, gives as 
good a chance for a wheat crop as any seed-bed we can 
make. Some years since, Mr. L. N. Bonliam, agricultu- 
ral editor of the Cincinnati Commercial, sowed a field of 
bottom land in wheat. On a part of it the corn was cut 
up, and the remainder was drilled in among the standing 
corn. The result was, fourteen bushels to the acre on 
that sown in the corn, and twenty-nine bushels to the 
acre where the corn was cut up. The quality of the land 
was the same, and in both cases it was well put in. 

As I have already said, I would not, under any cir- 
cumstances, break corn land. If the corn is tall and 
heavy, I cut high, and then cut the butts at the ground ; 
but if the corn is light or short, it may be cut close 
enough to the ground so that the butts will not interfere 
with the drilling. If the butts are long, it will pay to 
take them off, for they will interfere with drilling, and 
also be in the way if 3^ou wish to glean the ,stub])le. The 
sulky rake will gather up the larger part of them, and 
the remainder can be picked up by hand. After the corn 
is off, I would advise that the land be worked both ways. 
If you have a harrow that will do the job well, such as 



WHEAT. 101 

the disc or spring-tooth, you can get over ten acres a 
day, and they will, if followed by roller or plank drag, 
put the land in the best possible condition. The next 
best implement is the double corn plow with small shov- 
els, and with this you can get over six or eight acres a 
day. It may be gone over once with this, and then cross- 
harrowed with a common harrow, but I would alwaj's 
use the roller or drag before drilling. It is advisable 
to plant an early variety of corn where you are intending 
to seed to wheat. 

. To show what success I have had growing wheat on 
corn land, I will make a few extracts from my diary: 

" Sept. 22, 1877. Sowed six acres of wheat where corn 
had been cut up." This field averaged twent^'-six bush- 
els per acre. 

" Sept. 19, 1878. Sowed four acres of wheat on corn land 
at home, and six acres on north farm." The first made an 
average of thirty bushels per acre, and the last twent^'-two. 

*'Oct. 8, 1879. Sowed four acres of wheat where corn 
was cut up. The corn was very light, as the land is cold 
and thin. Manured each acre differentlj%" This wheat 
was not threshed separatel}^ but there were one hundred 
and seventy-eight shocks, large bind. M3' entire crop of 
seven hundred shocks, threshed four hundred and sev- 
enty-two bushels, and this would show ah average of 
thirty bushels per acre for these four acres. 

" Sept. 24, 1880, Sowed twelve acres of wheat on corn 
land on home farm." This wheat averaged fifteen bush 
els to the acre, but it will be remembered the crop cut in 
1881 was a very light one generally, and this wheat was 
very much better than ten acres grown on wheat stub- 
ble. We have sown this fall — 1881 — twelve acres of 
wheat on corn land, which is looking as well as I could 
wish. It was sown September 17th. 



102 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

I have given these extracts from my diary, to show 
the dates at which I have been able to sow for several 
3^ears, and the success I have had. The average for the 
four years is over twenty-two bushels per acre; and leav- 
ing out* the last year, which was an exceptionally bad one, 
the average is over twenty-six bushels. 

The principal objection urged against seeding on corn 
land is the trouble and expense of cutting up the corn, 
but as I shall speak of that in the chapter on corn, I 
will pass it for the present. 

THE COST OF WHEAT-GROWING 

Is an interesting question, and as it is but little trouble, 
I advise every farmer to keep a debit and credit account 
with each wheat field. By so doing, he will soon learn that 
the cost per bushel decreases as the yield per acre in- 
creases, and I believe that many farmers would thus be 
led to grow fewer acres and more bushels. 

In keeping an account with my wheat crops, I put 
down the rent of land at eight per cent on the valuation 
of the particular field, and allow nothing for taxes, as I 
consider the rent includes this; I do not include hauling 
and threshing, for I believe the straw to be worth 
enough to cover this. When I use manure on the field, 
I charge the wheat crop with fifty cents per load, for al- 
though it is worth more, and often costs over $1, a part 
of this should be charged to succeeding crops. When I 
use commercial manures, I charge the actual cost to the 
wheat crop. I charge $1 per day for each man and 
liorse. For harvesting I charge the usual price per acre 
for the machine, and actual cost, including board, for 
}u-l|) employed. I have each field on my farm vnluod, so 
MS to know at once what rent to charge it. I shall explain 
this more fully in the chapter on Farm Accounts. I be- 
gan keeping an account with m}^ wheat crops in 1877, 



WHEAT. 103 

and have a detailed account with each crop grown since, 
60 that I can at a glance tell the cost, profit or loss on 
the crop. 

To show what it has cost me to grow wheat, I will 
copy from my book the account with some of my crops. 
I will begin with a six-acre field, two acres of which was 
wheat stubble and the rest corn land: 

ACCOUNT WITH SIX-ACRE WHEAT FIELD, 

''July, 1877. Breaking two acres $3 00 

Working four acres twice with double corn plow 4 00 

Harrowing and rolling , . 6 00 

Cutting and picking off corn butts 5 00 

4^ bushels of seed at $1 4 50 

Drilling 2 40 

June 24, 1878. Harvesting 9 60 

Board of harvest hands 2 50 

Rent of land 36 00 

Total, $73 00 

The crop on this field was one hundred and eighty 
bushels, and sold for 95 cents per bushel, making $171. 
Deducting cost of growing, leaves $98, net profit. This 
makes $16.33-^ net profit per acre, and shows the cost of 
growing per acre, including rent, to be $12.16f. The 
profit, after allowing 8 per cent on a valuation of $75 per 
acre, was nearly 22 per cent. The cost per bushel was 
40-^ cents. 

In 1878, I sowed eleven acres of wheat on my north 
farm. This was on the fifty acres of thin land referred 
to in a former chapter. This land cost me but $20 per 
acre, but as this field was the best part of it, I have val- 
ued it at $30 per acre. My account stands as follows : 

" July 31, 1878. Preparing seed-bed $22 00 

Sept. 25. Seed wheat, 10 bushels, 9 50 

Carried forward $31 50 



104 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

Amount brought over $31 50 

Drilling 4 00 

Fifty loads of manure at 50 cents 25 00 

One barrel bone meal 6 00 

June 23, 1879, Cutting, at 60 cents per acre 6 60 

Five hands at $1.50 per da^^ 7 50 

l^oard of help 3 00 

Rent of land at 8 per cent on valuation of $30 ... 26 40 

Total $110 00 

,The fiekl produced 241 bushels, which was sold from 
the machine for 95 cents, making $228.95. Deducting 
cost; leaves $118.95 as profit. Cost per bushel a fraction 
over 45 cents. Profit on value of land, a fraction over 
36 per cent. 

Ten acres of the same field was sown in wheat in 
1879, and the account as copied from my book, stands 
thus: 

" Julv, 1879. Breaking $15 00 

Rolling 3 00 

August 4. Thirty-eight loads manure 19 00 

" 21. Stirring with corn plow 4 00 

" 24. Harrowing and rolling 6 00 

Sept. 8. Nine bushels seed wheat 9 00 

" Eight hundred lbs ground bone 12 00 

Drilling 4 00 

" Rent of land 24 00 

June 16, 1880, Cutting at 60 cents per acre 6 00 

" Four hands, at $2 per day 8 00 

" Board of hands 2 50 

Total, .$112 50 

The crop made an average of fifteen bushels per acre, 
and sold for $1,05 per bushel from the machine, making 
$157.50. Deducting cost leaves a profit of $45; cost ot 
wheat per bushel 75 cents; profit on land 15 per cent. 

Lest some one should criticise these figures where 
they notice that in 1878 there is but $22.00 charged for 



WHEAT. 105 

preparing seed-bed on eleven acres, and $28.00 the fol- 
lowing 3'ear for ten acres of the same land, I wish to 
give a word of explanation. In the first named year the 
field was about half in corn and the balance in sorgo, 
beans, oats, and potatoes, and required less labor than 
if it had needed to be* broken up. The next year I 
allowed $1.50 per acre for breaking, which many will ob- 
ject to as being too little. In replj^ I answer that we 
had a fine rain followed by cool, cloudy weather which 
enabled us to plow two acres a day. I have in all these 
accounts charged actual cost where it could be ascer- 
tained, and allowed one dollar a day for each man or 
three dollars a day for a man and team. When our reg- 
ular farm hands or myself helped at harvesting, I have 
charged harvest wages, and I have charged twenty-five 
cents per meal for each man boarded in harvest. 

VALUE OF STRAW TO THE FARMER. 

The reader will notice that in all m}' estimates ®f the 
cost of wheat growing, I have stopped when the wheat 
was in the shock. This is because I believe the straw to 
be worth to the farmer who knows how to properly man- 
age it enough to pay for hauling and thrashing the crop. 

The proportion of wheat to straw will vary with differ- 
ent seasons and varieties of wheat, but as a general rule 
we shall have about two pounds of straw to one of gi*ain. 
This would give six tons of straw for one hundred bush- 
els of wheat. As the machines charge from four to five 
cents per bushel for thrashing, I think it a fair estimate 
to call the entire expense ten cents a bushel; I think the 
hauling to the machine could be done for less than $3, 
but we will call it that, which would make our six tons 
of straw cost $13. I am willing to call it $2^0 a ton, and 
this would allow $2 on each hundred bushels for taking 
the wheat to market, and with the railroad facilities we 



106 SUCCESS IN FAKMING. 

now have this will often cover the cost. It would seem 
unnecessary to enter into an argument to prove that 
straw is worth $2.50 per ton to the farmer. Whether we 
look at it from the scientific standpoint comparing its 
chemical analysis with that of* hay and fodder, or from 
the practical side, it is certainly worth much more than 
this. 

I have no hesitation in saying that if farmers took as 
good care of their wheat straw as they do of their hay, 
that it is worth for stock, half as much. I will make 
the further statement, that fifteen hundred pounds of 
bright wheat straw fed in connection with 2-10 pounds 
of wheat hran and 250 pounds of corn moal mixed, will 
he worth, for horses or cattle, as much or more than one 
ton of the best hay. Even when straw is stacked in the 
barn-yard and the cattle allowed to run to it and help 
themselves, it is worth for food, shelter, and manure 
more than $2.50 per ton. 

Straw is worth for manure much more than a chemi- 
cal analysis shows, for it is to most farmers the cheapest 
and most convenient absorbent they can use, and with- 
out it on many farms most of the liquid and soluble 
parts of the animal manure would be lost. 

EXPERIMENTS WITH AVHEAT. 

During the last few years I have tried some experi- 
ments with wheat, which while not conclusive in their 
results, have been of great interest. 

In 1877 I sowed two adjoining acres with wheat, using 
one half bushel of seed on one acre, and one bushel on 
the other. The land was strong and in good condition, 
and although the wheat where the half bushel was sown 
looked quite thin at fii'st, before winter set in it had 
stooled so that little if any difference could be seen. At 
' harvest I had a neighbor to cut it for me, and I told him 



WHEAT. 107 

and the binders how the wheat was sown, but did not 
tell them which aci*e had the light seeding, and not one 
of them could tell. I shocked the grain, and found fifty- 
two shocks on one acre and fift^y-one on the other. 
The two acres thrashed seventy bushels. The next year 
I sowed six acres using three pecks of seed to the acre, 
and harvested 180 bushels, an average of 30 bushels to 
the acre. 

My first experiment with bone meal was in 1878, when 
I used a single barrel, and as I could not get a fertilizer 
drill I sowed it broadcast. On either side of it I used 
stable manure, and through the center left a strip twelve 
feet wide unmanured. The land was heavy clay and 
badly worn. The stable manure gave the wheat a 
good start in the fall so that it covered the ground 
quite well, but up to the time winter set in I saw no 
benefit whatever from the bone meal. As soon as spring 
opened the wheat where the bone was sown grew luxuri- 
antly and showed a dark green, and the strip left with- 
out any fertilizers was so poor that it was eas}^ to trace 
it when standing eighty rods away. At harvest the 
wheat where the bone was used was nearly as goovd as 
where heavily manured with stable manure, and was a 
foot taller than on the unfertilized strip. I did not cut 
and thrash separately, but estimated that every dollar's 
worth of bone gave from two to thi-ee dollar's worth of 
wheat, besides improving the quality. This experiment 
not only showed that I could use bone meal profitably 
but that it was best to use with it some quicker-acting 
manure to give the wheat a start in the fall. 

Superphosphate is quicker in its action, and when the 
farmer depends on commercial manures I think it would 
be wise to use half of this and half ground bone, or if he 
has a ten acre field on which he intends to use fifty loads 



108 SUCCESS IX FARMING. 

of manure and a half ton of bone meal, it would be wise 
to scatter the manure over the entire field and put one 
hundred pounds of bone on an acre, than to put two 
hundred pounds of the latter on five acres and the ma- 
nure on the other five. 

In the fall of 1879 I sowed four acres of wheat the 8th 
of October on a piece of land where we had cut off a very 
light crop of corn. We had plowed the corn late and 
then gone through with hoes, so that the land was per- 
fectly clean, and we had no difficulty in making an ex- 
cellent seedbed. I divided the piece into four equal 
strips, and on No. 1, I drilled one barrel of sifted hen 
manure. On Ko. 2, I put twelve loads of good rotten 
stable manure. On No. 3, 1 drilled two hundred pounds 
of bone meal, and on No. 4, 1 drilled two hundred pounds 
of ammoniated flour of bone, which is quicker in its ac- 
tion than the ground bone. I left strips ten or twelve 
feet wide without fertilizer of any kind between these 
plots. They were not cut separately, but I exam- 
ined them veiy carefully comparing one with another 
and with the unmanured strips, and reached these con- 
clusions: That the entire crop was doubled by the fer- 
tilizers. That the stable manure gave a little the heav- 
iest crop. That there was no perceptible difference in 
the plots where the hen manure and bone meal were used, 
A comparison with the unmanured strips left no doubt 
that the stable manure gave more than an extra bushel 
of wheat for every load used, and that the other fertili- 
zers gave three to five bushels of increase for each dol- 
lar's worth used. 

I can give no better advice to wheat growers than 
that they try some experiments each year. I would 
suggest that those of which I have spoken be repeated. 
If you have not a fertilizer drill the commercial manure 



WHEAT. 109 

can be applied by hand. Learn what bone meal, night- 
soil, hen manure, etc., are worth to you on your own soil. 
Alwa^'s leave an unmanured plot adjoining with which 
to compare, and if possible cut separately and weigh the 
product of each. Try also, extra pulverization. After 
3'ou have your field in what you call good condition, put 
an extra dollar's worth of work on one acre of it, and see 
if it does not pay. Try burning straw on a plot in your 
field, and see what effect it will have on the soil. Plow 
a plot four inches deep and another eight, and give them 
the same treatment after, and note the diflference, if any. 
Plow under the manure on one plot, and top-dress the 
adjoining one. Harrow thoroughly a strip of wheat 
through the field in the spring. If you are afraid of in- 
juring it you need only try a rod wide, but go over it till 
the surface is thoroughly mellowed, doing it, of course, 
when tlie land is dry enough to pulverize. All these ex- 
periments are interesting and valuable. There are man}' 
questions which cannot be answered for you by another, 
but a little care in experimenting will enable you to an- 
swer them for j^ourself for all time.* 

*Mr. Brown is fond of experimenting, and these suggestions 
— like all he makes, are good. But the farmer should bear in 
mind that experiments are valuable only for results, and unless 
a careful record of experiments is kept they will be valueless. 
I would recommend the progressive farmer to keep a sepa- 
rate book for experiments rather than to enter them in his 
diary where they are liable to be lost sight of among other 
matter. Do not crowd the book. Head a page with the name 
of the experiment, and then fill in the details as they occur. 
Make your experiments as conclusive as possible. One exper- 
iment carried through to a conclusion, is worth a dozen half 
completed. Many experimenters spend their labor for naught, 
from lack of care i n particulars. As far as possible, measure and 
weigh results, and record the measurements. An experiment in 
which you guess at the amoimt of land and at the quantity of 
seed and at the i-esults, may be very interesting to you, but no 
fact of value was ever so determined. The experimental farm- 
er must cultivate business care and accur^^. k. s. t. 



CHAPTER XI. 



CORN. 



The statistics of Ohio from 1850 to 1880 inclusive, 
show that the amount of corn ground in the State in 1850 
was one and a half million acres. 

There has been a steady increase in the acreage, until 
several times in the last few j^ears it has exceeded three 
million acres. 

The smallest yield during this time was 1858 — fifty 
million bushels. In 1872, for the first time, the crop 
reached one hundred million bushels, and since that 
time it has but three times fallen below that amount, 
while in 1878 it reached the highest, one hundred and 
fourteen million bushels. 

In all this time the average yield per acre for the State 
has but once exceeded 40 bushels, and the average for 
the whole time is a little less than 34 bushels to the acre. 

As Ohio is a good corn State, and though not produc- 
ing quite as large quantities as some of the Western 
states, yet yields as much to the acre, we can well take 
these figures as the ordinary results obtained by farmers 
throughout the Union. 

So much for the actual yield, now let us take a look at 
the possible yield. 

In 1877, while editing the agricultural department of 
the Weekly Enquirer, I offered a number of premiums 
f o r the largest yields of corn on one acre. 

Nineteen sen^p in reports, the land having been 



CORN. Ill 

measured and the product weighed by disinterested par- 
ties, E'or convenience I arrange these reports in tabu- 
lar form : 

BUSHELS OK 
^°^^^^«^- THE ACRE. 

No. 1, McLean county, Illinois, 118 

2, Tipton county, Indiana, 110 

3, Pickaway county, Ohio, 110 

4, Clinton county, " 106 

5, Montgomery county," 105 

6, Sandusky county, " 104 

7, Wayne county, Indiana, 104 

8, Madison county, " 103 

9, Delaware county, " 102 

10, McLean county, Illinois, 101 

11, Belmont county, Ohio, . 100 

12, Blackford county, Indiana, 98 

13, Scott " " 91 

14, Shelby " " 91 

1.5, Decatur " " 88 

16, Shelby " " 88 

17, Coles county, Illinois, 82 

18, Stark county, Ohio, 78 

19, Fairfield county, " 68 

The average yield per acre of these nineteen trials 

was ninety-seven and four-nineteenths bushels. 

WHERE THE PROFIT COMES IN. 

The actual cost of labor in growing an acre of corn 
cannot well be reduced below $6.50. Add to this $5.00 
per acre for interest on investment and taxes, makes 
$11.50, and taking the Ohio average for the past thirty 
years of 34 bushels per acre, would make the corn cost 31 
cents a bushel to those who grew average crops. A high 
•cost, considering the usual market price, and one that 
leaves but little profit to those who grow but average crops. 

It necessarily follows that those who grow less than 
average crops lose money at the business. 



112 SUCCESS IN FAK5IING, 

The parties who grew the above premium crops re- 
ported the costs of doing so, which averaged, for labor 
alone, $8.90 per acre. Adding as before $5.00 per acre 
for taxes and interest on investment,will leave the cost 
of their crops $13.90 per acre, which divided b}' the 
average 3'ield gives a cost of about li^ cents a bushel. 

The conclusion is obvious: — The profit in corn grow- 
ing comes in the big crops, and that if by increasing the 
cost for labor one-half, we can double the yield, we have 
made a very profitable investment. 

In nearly every case the growers of these premium crop* 
report an extra amount of labor in getting the soil ready. 
A number reported $1 per acre expended in harrowing, 
rolling or dragging — an amount sufficient to bring it to 
a very fine condition of tilth. 

Nearly all of thes« crops were grown on sod land, and 
without manure. 

SAVING SEED CORN. 

The first necessity for a good corn crop is good seed. 
The loss sustained by our farmers from lack in this 
matter is enormous, while the cost of selecting and 
caring for corn that could be depended on for certain 
germination is but a mere trifle. While it is true that 
perhaps three years out of four the farmer can go 
to his crib and pick out corn that will grow; yet it is 
also true that sometimes it will not, and heavy loss is 
the consequence. 

Seed corn should be carefully selected in early au- 
tumn, and placed where it will be thoroughly dried be- 
fore hard frost Freezing does not injure well matured 
and w'ell dried corn, but corn that is immature, 
or is caught by frost before it is entirelj^ dry is liable to 
have the germ destroyed. 

It should be stored in a dry, airy place. Man}-^ farm- 



CORN. 113 

ers follow the plan of stripping the husk back and hang- 
ing the corn up in an airy loft. 

Another plan highly recommended is to hang the corn 
in the smoke-house and allow it to be thoroughly 
smoked with the meat. Not only is this a good and 
sure way of keeping it, but it is said the grain becomes 
so thoroughly impregnated with the smoke that insects 
will trouble neither the grain nor the young plant. 

But there is more in this matter of selecting seed com 
than merely to get that which will grow. I like Dr. 
Sturdevant's idea of " pedigree seed corn " and have no 
doubt that by a careful and persistent selection of seed, 
the yield may be very materially increased. All careful 
experiments in this matter of "breeding" corn show 
that much can be done. I established a new and valu- 
able variety of sweet corn from a " sport," but it took 
five years of careful selection to do it. 

PLANTING AND CULTIVATION. 

The improvements in methods of cultivation in corn 
have kept pace with other matters of farm management. 
I remember, when a bo}', that the land was marked off 
and the crop tended with a single shovel plow. It was 
dropped by hand and covered with a hoe, and no pains 
■were taken to keep the field clear of weeds during the 
latter part of the season. On the rich, Whitewater bot- 
toms, whei-e my bo^'hood was spent, the fiold would be- 
come a wilderness of Spanish needles and cockleburs^ 
and the first work I can remember was riding the horse 
that dragged a brush between the rows in order to rattle 
oflT the needles and burs so that they might not impede 
the buskers, and the weeds were often so tall, that sitting 
on the horse I would be covered with the needles. 

The farmer in this latitude should if possible finish 
breaking his land in April, which will give him abund- 

8 



114 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

ant time to get it in good order before planting. 
Judgment must be exercised in preparing the land. If 
the spring is dry there is no danger of too much pulveriza- 
tion, but in a wet spring it will be better to leave the 
general surface of the field rather rough, and draw a log 
along the furrow to pulverize enough soil to give the 
corn a start. The remainder of the field can then be 
made fine and level before the corn comes up, so that at 
the first working you can get close to it without cover- 
ing it. 

Time of Planting. — I like reasonably early planting, 
and am certain that in most cases it gives better results, 
but there is no use in planting until the weather and 
ground gets warm, no matter what the time of year may 
be! Corn Mill not grow when the ground is still cold 
fAm the winter frosts, and seed planted before there is 
sufficient Avarmth to cause it to germinate will rot in the 
ground, and the farmer will often blame the seed when 
he should have blamed his lack of knowledge of the sim- 
ple principle that a certain amount of warmth is neces- 
sary to cause the corn to germinate. 

Hill or Drill. — This has been a question on which 
much time has been spent. Both methods have their 
ardent advocates. I think it is pretty well established 
that where the land is clean, and the farmer has the 
right kind of implements for thorough cultivation, and 
knows how to use them, more can be grown on the acre 
in drills than in hills, but as it is much more difficult to 
keep drilled corn clean, I would always advise that where 
the land is foul, or where the cultivation has to be main- 
ly left to hired help, the hill plan should be adopted. 

Depth of Planting. — There is an interesting scien- 
tific fact connected with this — the decaying grain must 
furnish all the food to the young plant until the leaves 



CORN. 116 

reach the surface and expand in the light and air. Con- 
sequently if too deeply buried, the nutriment in the 
grain is exhausted before the young plant is able 
to draw food from "^he soil, and it becomes enfeebled. 
Careful experiment shows that with the land in good or- 
der one and one-half inch is about the best depth for 
covering corn. 

Culture. — If the spring is backward, the nights cold, 
and the corn inclined to be unthrifty, take the bar plow 
and run it as close to the row as j'ou can, using a fender 
or rolling cutter on j^our plow, and turn the soil yro7» 
the row, running the plow about five inches deep. 
If your corn is planted as straight as it ought to be this 
ridge on which the corn is left standing need not be 
more than five inches wide, and the sun soon warms this 
and starts the corn into a vigorous growth. I have had 
frequent opportunity to compare adjoining rows, one 
plowed as I recommend, and the other worked from the 
start with a cultivator, and the diff'erence in favor of the 
barshare plow was very perceptible. In warm, pleasant 
springs of course working with the cultivator from the 
start does equally well. 

Within a few years the double barshare plow has been 
introduced and giA^es good satisfaction. It consists of 
two light bar plows with one handle each, attached to 
€ach other by an adjustable wooden bar front and rear. 
For small corn a rolling cutter is used on each plow, so 
as to entirely protect the young corn, and in drilled corn 
where the rows are straight it can be set so that not over 
three inches of earth is left unstirred; and with well 
planted hill corn the work can be done almost as 
eflectually. 

It is often a question how much and how long corn 
should be cultivated. I am confident that increased 



116 SUCCESS IN FAUMIXG. 

cultivation gives an increased yield, and as an extra, 
bushel per acre will about pay for an extra plowing, 1 
think it will pay to cultivate oftener and longer than is 
usually done. An opinion has been prevalent that plow- 
ing corn after the tassel has begun to show is injuri- 
ous. It undoubtedly is if the corn has been neglected 
till the ground has become compact and set with weeds; 
but the experience of our best farmers has shown that if 
the cultivation is continuous it may be kept up till late 
in the season, not only without detriment, but with great 
advantage to the crop. Mr. L. N. Bonhara, a corn- 
grower of great experience and success, says he plows 
his corn till the pollen chokes him, and finds it pays. 

The drought of the past summer (1881) has shown 
the importance of thorough preparation of the soil and 
constant cultivation. Wherever corn was planted in 
lumpy soil, or allowed to become weedj, the crop is well 
nigh a failure; but on adjoining fields, with no better 
soil, where pulverization and tillage was thorough, there 
has been a profitable crop. 

When the corn land is to be seeded in wheat, a double 
advantage is gained by late culture. In fact, it is both 
difficult and expensive to properly put in a crop of wheat 
on corn land where the cultivation has been discontinued 
early in the season, and the ground become filled with 
weeds.* 



*Mr. Brown has omitted mention of one implement which 
many of our best farmers prize very highly in the cultivation of 
corn, namely, the harrow. Some of our best corn growers be- 
gin tlieir curtivation by liarrowing the corn just before it comes 
up, and then again as soon as it is fairly above ground paying 
no attention to the rows. Altliough it looks as though the har- 
row was destroying all the corn, yet in a few days every plant 
will show itself again all the better for the struggle. It is get- 
ting to be generally conceded that corn cannot l)e cultivated 
too early, and that often the most valuable cultivation it re- 
ceives is the first. R. s. T. 



CORN. 117 

INSECT ENEMIES. 

Corn is troubled with these less than most other crops 
but occasionally cut-worms injure it badly, The smok- 
ing of the seed-corn is said to be a preventive of this. 
It is also said that the application of salt and land 
plaster mixed in the proportion of one part of the former 
to two of the latter, and a pinch applied to each hill 
will entirel}- stop their ravages. A barrel of the mixture 
is sufficient for eight acres. 

FERTILIZERS FOR CORN. 

Clover is the cheapest and best fertilizer for this crop, 
and the farmer who uses all his manure on the wheat 
crop and sows clover with the wheat, will grow heavier 
crops of both wheat and corn than if the manure was 
used on the corn land. A clover sod gives a clean and 
mellow seed-bed for corn, and it is easier and pleasanter 
to draw manure over the solid land in July and August, 
than over the soft miry earth in March or April. 

VALUE OF CORN FODDER. 

In the nineteen corn reports referred to in the begin- 
ning of this chapter, but one of them allowed anj'thing 
for the fodder and then onl}^ one dollar an acre, and as 
managed by a large proportion of western farmers they 
do not realize this amount from it, and often injure the 
land by tramping when wet more than all they get is 
worth. The farmers of the New England states put a 
very high value on corn fodder, often more than would 
l)uy a heavy crop of corn at the West. I know that corn 
fodder in New England is worth more than in the West, 
for two reasons : Their small varieties of corn make 
better fodder than our coarser growing kinds and it is 
much pleasanter to handle, and hay brings a much high- 
er price with them than with us. 

I know that corn fodder is so valuable with us that it 



118 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

is wasteful to leave it in the field, and that a handsome 
profit above the cost of saving can be made on it. 

What is an average acre of corn fodder worth, and 
what does it cost? I answer to the first question, it is 
worth us much as a ton of good hay, and this estimate 
is based on twenty years' experience in the use of fod- 
der, and I have during that time fed hay enough to en- 
able me to compare the two. I have kept from eight to 
twenty head of horses and cattle each winter, and three- 
fourths of the time I have not cut a pound of hay a year 
but depended on corn fodder for work teams, milk cows, 
and stock cattle. I have been confirmed in this estimate 
of the value of corn fodder by many farmers of large ex- 
perience in its use. As to its being palatable to stock 
and their thriving well on it, I find that it takes the very 
best hay to equal it. The great objection to it on the 
part of many farmers is, the amount of waste and the 
butts in the manure pile. The waste of corn fodder ig 
less than many suppose. Some ja'ars since I conducted 
a series of careful experiments to ascertain what the ac- 
tual waste was. I was at that time milking seven cows 
and selling butter to a hotel. For several days I weighed 
the fodder for the cows and after each feed weighed the 
waste, and I found that they ate just two-thirds of the 
fodder. I also found that a ton of the fodder would feed 
a cow three months. We were feeding in addition ten 
pounds a day of bran and corn meal mixed equal parts, 
and on this diet they kept up a full flow of milk, and the 
same ration fed to dr}'' cows soon made them ready for 
beef. I know that the part of the fodder the cattle eat 
is worth as much as the same weight of the best hay, or 
in other words, three tons of fodder is worth as much 
as two tons of hay. Now let us estimate the cost. I 
have hired all my corn cut up for years, and it has cost 



CORN. 119 

me about $1.25 per acre. The price for some years was 
five cents for shocks containing 100 hills, but of late 
years I get 141 hills — or shocks 12 hills square — cut for 
this, and my hands make over $2 a day at this price; 
some of my neighbors paid but four cents for shocks of 
this siz;e. As we usually plant, this would give about 
twenty shocks to the acre. It costs but little more to 
get the corn husked from the shock than from the stand- 
ing corn. I have never paid above eight cents a shock 
and this includes binding the fodder in bundles. "We 
use rye straw for this purpose, and unless we are ready 
to draw"the fodder to the barn or stack the same day, 
the husker sets the bundles up in shock and ties a band 
round the top to hold them together. After deducting 
what it would cost to husk the corn if it was not cut 
up, less than $3 will cover the entire expense of cut- 
ting up and securing in barn or stack an acre of corn 
fodder if let out hy the job, I have spoken of stacking 
fodder; there is no product of the farm more easily 
stacked. All that is necessary is to make the stack nar- 
row so as to keep the middle three or four feet higher 
than the edges, which gives a good slope to the bundles. 
It will shed the rain and keep perfectly. I prefer to 
build rather small stacks containing from sixty to one 
hundred shocks each, or if a larger one is wanted make 
it long and narrow so that it can be put up and taken 
down in sections. "Whatever else may be neglected, 
shocked corn should be husked and the fodder hauled 
before winter sets in. "When the ground freezes the fod- 
der freezes down to the ground, and when a thaw comes 
the fields are so muddy that it is exceedingly disagree- 
able to handle the fodder, and if the field has been sown 
to wheat this crop will be seriously damaged. If the 
corn is left out till spring the injury to grain and fodder 



120 SUCCKS.S IX FAKMING. 

Is often more than the cost of husking. The wise farmer 
will secure help enough to finish up this work during 
the pleasant weather. 

There are two ways of managing the waste: One is 
to clean out the mangers every day and scatter the con- 
tents over the barn-yard. The cattle soon tramp them 
into the common mass of straw and manure, and they 
give no trouble. In four weeks after forking up the ma- 
nure in the spring in a small barn-^^ard in which I had 
thrown the butts from twenty acres of heavy corn, it was 
iine enough to use on the garden. The other and the 
best wa}'^ is to cut up the fodder and use the waste for 
bedding. This may be done by cutting it fine in a cut- 
ter of some kind, or if but little stock is kept it can be 
cut into six-inch lengths on a block with a cleaver, and 
even cut this length the waste will make good bedding.* 

I have found corn fodder the best bedding material 
for hogs confined in pens during winter. It keeps cleaner 
and lasts much longer than straw, and the hogs need 
some bulky food and they will eat the blades and part 
of the husks. 

There is one more point connected with corn, and that 
is, that when fed entire grain, husk and blade, it fur- 
nishes a perfect ration, just the right proportion of flesh 
and fat formers, and this fact stated b}'^ scientific inAcs- 
tigators is confirmed from the fact that shock corn fed 
to cattle keeps them in fine condition, and gives a large 
gain both in flesh and fat. I shall speak of fodder corn 
in the chapter on "Special Crops." 

*Some persons claim that feeding corn fodder cut up makes 
the moutlis of the cattle sore. k. s. t. 



CHAPTEK XII. 



GRASSES. 



VALUE OF THE CROP. 

The importance of this crop is often underestimated. 
Ohio statistics for 1879 show the wheat crop of the State 
as worth fifty-one million dollars, and the hay crop at 
only nineteen million; but hay does not represent the 
entire value of the grass crop, as a large proportion of 
the grass is pastured and not cut. 

The grass crop, also, when properly used, tends rather 
to renovate than to wear out land, and the wise farmer, 
in regions where grass is a successful crop, can greatly 
increase his profits, diminish his labor and expenses, 
and improve the fertility of his farm, by keeping a con- 
siderable portion of his land in grass. 

It is true that in some portions of North-eastern Ohio, 
where the land has been kept in grass from the earliest 
settlement of the country, and the products carried off 
in milk and cheese and meat, the land has suffered dete- 
rioration as surely as, though more slowly than, under 
continuous grain cropping; but where grass is made a 
part of a rotation, it always has a beneficial influence on 
the land, and where the dairj' business is not exten- 
sively followed, and the pastures stocked with grown 
cattle, or especially, sheep, the land may be kept in grass 
indefinitely without deterioration. 

There are many broken farms in the hilly sections of 
the countrj', which are cultivated in corn and wheat year 



122 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

after year, not only at a loss to the farmer, but the total 
and irremediable destruction of the farm by washing, 
which, if seeded down in permanent pasture and stocked 
with sheep, would maintain their fertility, or even show 
a gain, and bring their owner a steady income. The 
best illustration of this I have ever seen is on the high 
blufl's of the Miami river, near its mouth. On one farm 
you will see the hills clothed in blue-grass from base 
to summit, taking on a dense green with the first open 
weather of spring, and often covered with flocks, making 
a good living on them by the first of April, and again in 
November and December. On an adjoining farm, which 
has been cultivated in. grain, the hills are seamed and 
gullied until almost valueless. 

In many sections of the country where clover does not 
succeed well, grass entirely takes its place in a rotation. 
One great advantage connected with grass as a standard 
crop, is the light expense and labor. When pastured, 
the expense of harvesting is naught, and even when cut 
for hay, the expense is light compared with most other 
crops. 

VARIETIES TO CHOOSE. 

In this matter the farmer must be governed by hiai 
locality, nature of soil and purpose he has in view. There 
are certain varieties of grass which flourish on certain 
geological formations and will not grow on others. Some 
are excellent for pasture and of but little value for ha}'; 
and others again, make the best ha}^ but do not make 
good permanent pasture. Some varieties will grow on 
very wet land that could not otherwise be utilized with- 
out underdraining. Others would winter-kill on such 
land. 

For permanent pasture we have three excellent grasses, 
all of which flourish on a larjire area of our Western 



GRASSES. 123 

States. These are blue grass, orchard grass and red top. 

Blue Grass belongs especially to a limestone country, 
does best on dry, rolling lands, and j'et flourishes on 
many sections of the Western prairies when once it gets 
a hold. It forms a close, tough sod, that saves hillsides 
from washing, and will endure during the open weather 
of winter or earl}-- spring an amount of tramping that 
would be ruinous to some other varieties. It is sweet 
and nutritious, making the best of beef and milk, and is 
relished by stock of all kinds. It starts into vigorous 
growth with the first open weather of spring, and contin- 
ues green and fresh late in the fall, and in some sections 
furnishes good picking all through the winter, when the 
ground is not covered with snow. 

It does not endure heat and drought well, and in a 
summer like that of 1881, fails entirely, but it comes 
forth with wonderful vigor and freshness with the first 
fall rains. 

It is slow to take hold of the ground, and should never 
be sown except for permanent pasture. 

For the same reason, in starting a blue grass pasture, 
the seed should always be sown with some other grass. 
I prefer to sow with timothy, as this will not shade it too 
mnch, and about the time the timothy runs out, the blue 
grass will be ready to occupy the land. 

Be careful to know that you have good, fresh seed, as 
there is probably no grass seed sold that is more often 
worthless. Sow late in the fall or early in the winter, 
using one bushel of seed to the acre, and use as much 
timothy seed as if you had sown no blue grass, for it 
will make but little show the first j^ear or two. 

Never sow blue grass with red clover, as it will not 
succeed. 

It is said that if the seed is scattered over the hard 



124 SUCCESS IN KAKMING. 

surface of an old pasture, it will take root and do as well 
as on mellow ground. Wherever it does once get a foot- 
hold, it will ultimately crowd out everything else. 

I have tried the plan of getting a set of blue grass by 
"grafting," which proved successful. I cut sod one and 
a half or two inches thick, and cut this into pieces two 
inches square, and on a field that had just been sown to 
oats dropped these pieces, about two feet and a half 
apart each way, and stepped on them to press them into 
the mellow ground. Every piece grew and the grass is 
spreading from them rapidly. On a large scale, the 
pieces might be scattered from a wagon with a shovel or 
manure fork, and pressed into the ground with a roller.* 

Blue grass flourishes well in the shade, and enables us 
to make profitable wood pastures. Near my farm are 
several plantations of locust timber, where the trees 
stand so close it would be difficult to drive between them 
with a wagon, and yet the land is heavily set in blue 
grass, and carries nearly as man}' cattle to the acre as 
land that is fully exposed to the sun. B3' a little care, 
wood lots may be set in this grass and pay a fair inter- 
est on capital invested. 

Red Top does well on almost all soils, but will thrive 
on soil so wet as to be unfit for other purposes. Like 
blue grass, it bears tramping well, and on rich soil will 
produce a heavy crop of ver}" fair hay, which though not 
quite equal to timothy hay, can be produced on land not 
fitted for thiit crop. For pasture, it is fully as accepta- 
ble to stock as the average of grasses. 

Red top should be sown on a mellow and level surface, 

*Where for any reason there is difficulty in geting a start of 
blue grass from the seed, this plan may prove valuable ; but in 
ordinary cases I should imagine that the labor would cost more 
than the seed. e. s. t. 



GRASSES. 125 

as it is a delicate seed, and will need no covering, as the 
rains will wash it in sufficiently. It may be sown at the 
time wheat is put in, and if sown alone, two bushels of 
seed is none too much; but as, like blue grass, it is per- 
manent and will spread, it is better to seed with one 
bushel (fourteen pounds) of red top and six quarts of 
timoth}'. 

Orchard Grass. — Though coarse, this grass makes 
good hay and better pasture. Cattle are very fond of it, 
and chemical analysis shows it to be richer in flesh-pro- 
ducing elements than timothy, and nearlj'^ as rich in fat- 
producers. 

It is a good grass to sow in connection with red clover, 
as it ripens early, prevents the clover from lodging, and 
makes it easier to cure. It thrives best on a rich, warm 
soil, and seems specially adapted to creek bottoms. 

Orchard grass may be sown in either fall or spring; 
should be sown on a well prepared surface and covered 
lightly. The fertilizer attachment to the wheat drill 
will sow it evenly and well, if not in use for fertilizers. 
To prevent the forming of stools, heavy seeding is re- 
quired, and it will pay to apply two and a half bushels 
to the acre. 

In seeding down land to permanent pasture, the best 
results are obtained from a mixture of blue grass, red 
top and orchard grass. Stock thus gets a variety of 
food; and on broken lands, which are the kind that 
should be chosen for tliis purpose, there is usually a 
large variety of soil, and if one kind fails on any partic 
ular portion of the field, one of the other varieties will 
succeed and prevent a barren spot. 

There is much pasture land which 5-ields no profit to 
the owner, and which loses, rather than gains, fertility, 
on account of too early pasturing in spring and over 



126 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

stocking. A plant continually kept cropped close to the 
ground, can develop but little root, and the roots are the 
source not only of a heavy growth, but also of fertility. 
Better sow a field of rye for early feed than turn stock 
on pastures before the grass has fairlj^ started. 

Timothy. — For the regular hay crop, no grass has ever 
been found superior to this. It usually brings a higher 
price in market than any other. It is not suitable for 
permanent pasture, as it usually runs out in two or three 
years; but it makes an excellent part in a rotation, and 
leaves the land in good order for corn or wheat. 

Timothy is usually sown with wheat or oats, and most 
drills are now provided with grass seeders. I would sow 
not less than a peck to the acre. This is rather more 
than is commonly used, but I am satisfied that a heavier 
stand of grass can be obtained, and as the statistics 
show that the average hay crop of Ohio is but one and 
one-sixth tons, it is evident that something needs to be 
done in the matter. 

Bone dust is an excellent fertilizer for grass, and it 
will be well to use about two hundred pounds to the 
acre in sowing wheat with timoth}^ The occasional ap- 
plication of the same amount as a top dressing to mead- 
ows, will doubtless be found beneficial in most localities, 
and it will pay each farmer to determine by experiment 
what its effect will be on his farm. 

MAKING HAY. 

The question of the time to cut hay has been debated in 
granges and farmers' clubs till it has grown monotonous. 
A few simple principles, however, will settle the gen- 
ei-alities of the question, and after that each farmer can 
determine the details for himself. 

Immature plants do not contain as much nutritive mat- 
ter as those that have nearly arrived at maturity, nor are 



GRASSES. 127 

they easy to cure. When the seed is allowed to ripen in 
the plant, a large portion of the nutritive matter in the 
plant goes into the seed, and the plant itself remains 
little more than a mass of woody fiber. 

The time to cut hay, then, would seem to be just after 
the blossom has fallen and before the seed has ripened. 
Some persons cut while in bloom. This makes very 
dusty hay. 

Some claim that a timothy meadow will not run out 
so soon if not cut until the seed ripens. This is true, 
but only so because in harvesting a large amount of 
the seed shatters out, and the ground is practically re- 
eeeded. This is seeding the ground, however, at the ex- 
pense of the value of the crop of hay. 

ANNUAL GRASSES. 

Some of these are of considerable importance to the 
farmer, especially when, from any reason, the meadow8 
are short, as they can be sown late and usually yield 
heavy crops of hay — not quite equal in value to timothy, 
hut ver}"- useful in its place. 

Hungarian grass and German millet are the best 
known. They should not be sown until the ground i8 
quite warm, usually the first of June, though in some 
sections they can be grown successfully when sown in 
July. Good crops have been grown on land from which 
a crop of wheat had just been cut. 

Work the ground thoroughl}'' and seed heavily — three 
or four pecks to the acre — as with thinner seeding the 
plant will be coarse. Cover with a plank drag, which 
will press the seed into the earth and insure quick 
germination, and also leave a smooth surface for the 
mower to run on. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



CLOVER. 



ITS VALUE ON THE FARM. 

In estimating the value of a crop of any kind, many- 
items have to be taken into consideration. These in- 
clude not onl}'' the money value of the crop after it is 
produced, but the cost of its production and the eftect 
upon the soil. To the cost of seed and labor used in 
growing a crop of wheat or corn must be added a cer- 
tain amount to cover fertilizing elements that have been 
taken from the soil, and which must be replaced if the 
land is to continue productive. 

I estimate the cost of growing and harvesting an acre 
of corn or wheat at $8. Of course this will vary with 
varying circumstances, but in most cases this will prob- 
ably not be too high an estimate. 

There is much more difficulty in determining the value 
of the fertility taken from the soil by a crop of grain, 
but I should sa}' that $2 per acre would be about a fair 
charge. By this I mean that it would cost that much to 
restore it, either by barn-yard manure or commercial 
fertilizers. This would allow $12 worth of manure spread 
over an acre of land once in six years. This would cer- 
tainly not be any more than sufficient to maintain its 
fertility under continued cropping with grain, and my 
estimate of $2 per acre for plant food removed by a crop 
of grain is therefore certainly not too high. 

This will make the cost of growing an acre of corn or 



CLOVER. 129 

•wheat $10. Allowing that twenty bushels an acre, at $1 
a bushel would be a fair average yield and price for 
wheat, and fifty bushels an acre and 40 cents a fair av- 
erage yield and price for corn, the money value of the 
crop on an acre would be, in either case, $20, allowing a 
profit of $10 per acre on a crop of grain. 

Now, we will compare this with the profit on an acre 
of clover. The cost of seed and growing will not exceed 
$1 per acre. A bushel of seed is sufficient for eight or 
ten acres of land, and 10 cents per acre will cover the 
cost of sowing. Preparation of seed-bed costs nothing, 
for ordinarily it is sown on wheat or oats and covered by 
the action of frost and rains. Even if we harrow the 
wheat field to give the clover a better chance, one-half 
the cost should be charged to the wheat, which will be 
greatly benefitted by the treatment. 

Next, as to the removal of elements of fertility from 
the soil : Instead of — as in the case of corn or wheat — 
having to charge the clover with $2 an acre on this score, 
we can actually give it a credit of $8 per acre for ele- 
ments of fertility added to the soil. How this is done 
will be discussed further on; the fact is sufficient for my 
present purpose. To prove that this is a reasonable esti- 
mate, it is sufficient to say that experience has abun- 
dantly'' demonstrated that a crop of clover will restore to 
the soil as much fertility as is taken away by four years 
cropping with grain. Now, as we demonstrated that it 
would take at least barn-yard manure to the value of $8 
to do this, then this is the lowest estimate we can place 
pn the manurial value of this crop. 

Next, as to the market value of ^i crop of clover; for it 
must be kept in mind that the above estimate of its ma- 
nurial value is made with the supposition that the crop 
is pastured or utilized as a meadow. Mr. Colburn, in 

9 



130 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

his book on Swine Husbandry, estimates that six tons 
of green clover can be grown on an acre, and fifteen 
pounds will make a pound of pork. Valuing the pork at 
4 cents a pound, would give the value of an acre of clover 
when pastured at $32. This is undoubtedly an extrav- 
agant estimate. 

L. N. Bonham, who has made this matter a careful 
studj'^ for years, estimates the value of an acre of clover, 
when pastured to cattle or hogs, at $9, and this is prob- 
ably a fair estimate; and if, instead of pasturing, it is 
cut twice — once for hay and once for seed — the net value 
of an acre, after deducting the cost of harvesting, will 
certainly not be less than this. 

We have now the data from which to reckon the value 
to the farmer of an ^cre of clover : 

Net market value of crop $ 9 00 

Value of fertilizing elements returned to soil .... 8 00 

Total, $17 00 

Less cost of seed and cultivation 1 00 

Net profit per acre $16 00 

For facility in comparison, I now repeat the estimate 
on an acre of grain : 

Net market value of crop $20 00 

Less cost of cultivation $8 00 

" fertility removed from soil 2 00— 10 00 

Net profit $10 00 

Which shows $6 more profit on an acre of clover than on 
an acre of grain. To this might be added that the clover 
stubble is loose and mellow and free from weeds. 

While of course clover cannot take the place of crops 
of grain, yet this estimate shows very clearly its value 
to the farmer, and the important place it occupies among 
the crops of the farm. 



CLOVER. 131 

HOW CLOVER ADDS TO THE FERTILITY 01' THE SOIL. 

Many persons are greatly puzzled to understand how 
it can be that a crop of clover can be grown, and yield a 
crop of hay and crop of seed to be carried away, and still 
add fertility to the soil. A little thought will, I think, 
make it clear. I have already, in other chapters, alluded 
to the influence of shade on the soil, in causing the de- 
posit of nitrogen; and perhaps there is no crop grown 
on the farm which produces so dense a shade as clover. 
Its abundant foliage takes in carbonic acid from the at- 
mosphere, and the large roots penetrate deeply into the 
subsoil, bringing up and making available the valuable 
mineral elements needed for our grain crops. 

Clover is rich in valuable ash. A careful analysis of 
this ash gives the following result: 

Phosphoric acid 7.5 

Sulphuric acid 4.3 

Carbonic acid 18 

Silica 3 

Lime 30 

Magnesia 8.5 

Potash 20 

Soda, chlorine and iron 8.7 

Total, 100.0 

The reader will understand that the above is an aver- 
age of several different analyses, as different samples 
will vary according to the soil on which they are grown. 
The roots are still richer in ash than the tops, and 
consequently, in the mineral elements needed, and when 
we find out the proportion of root to top, we shall begin 
to understand why the clover crop enriches the land, 
even when cut for hay and for seed. Carefully conducted 
experiments have shown that the weight of roots is much 
greater than of tops. Dr Voelcker, of the Royal Society 



132 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

of England, selected an average square yard in a field of 
clover that had been cut twice — once for hay and once 
for seed — and found that in the first six inches of the 
soil the clover roots, after being washed and dried, 
weighed one pound, ten and one-half ounces. This 
would give, in round numbers, three and one-half tons 
of clover roots in the first six inches of the soil, and, as 
fully one-third of the roots lie below this, we can esti- 
mate over five tons of clover roots in the soil of a single 
acre. These experiments also showed that the weight of 
the clover roots doubled between the time the crop was 
cut for hay and when it was cut for seed. 

It has puzzled many farmers to understand how clover, 
■which contains so large a per cent of the same valuable 
elements which wheat does, could enrich the soil and 
benefit the wheat crop as tlie}'^ find b}' practical experi- 
ment that it does. The fact of the large quantity of 
roots left in the soil, and that the clover gets its nutriment 
so largely from the atmosphere and the subsoil makes 
clear what seemed mysterious. 

There may be enough fertilizing elements for hun- 
dreds of crops, lying in the soil, either out of reach of 
the roots of plants, or in a form not available ; and clover 
reaches down and brings them up and renders them 
available; just as there might be scattered over the 
ground bones containing enough rich fertilizing mate- 
rial for several heavy crops of wheat, but which the 
plants could not use. If these bones are ground to a 
powder and incorporated with the soil, they would then 
be availalde to the plants. 

So there are in the subsoil and air almost inexhausti- 
ble supplies of plant food, but which, like the unground 
bones, are not available to the ordinary i)lant. The clover 
seizes these elements and makes them available. 



CLOVER. 133 

In the beginning of this article I made an estimate of 
the fertilizing value of an acre of clover from the prac- 
tical standpoint Now let us see what the value would be 
from a chemical standpoint. The value of potash, am- 
monia and phosphoric acid as contained in commercial 
fertilizers, is usually estimated to be: 

Ammonia 174^ cents ^ ib. 

Potash 6" " 

Phosphoric acid 6 " " 

From a careful comparison of a number of tables, I 
estimate that the roots of an acre of good clover will 
contain: 

Ammonia, 145 ft s. @ 17^ cents, $2.5 37 

Potash, 140 fcs. @ 6 cents, 8 40 

Phosphoric acid, 42 fts. @ 6 cents, 2 52 

$36 29 
This shows that my estimate from a practical stand- 
point was not extravagant. It must be borne in mind, 
however, that a part of this value retained in the roots, 
must be allowed to replace what was carried off in the tops, 
and that of course a portion was gathered from the sur- 
face soil. The real fertilizing profit is in that portion 
that is drawn from the air and subsoil. 

There is one other benefit of clover, difficult, perhaps, 
to estimate, but which farmers are not slow to appreciate, 
and that is its mechanical effect; and this does more 
than make the land work easily, for it also enables 
the roots of other plants to traverse the soil and find 
food, which the}' otherwise would be unable to reach. 
Clover is also a cleansing crop, by which I mean that it 
so fully occupies the land that it does not allow any 
other plants to grow, and the seeds of many troublesome 
plants will sprout and then be smothered by the dense 
growth of clover, and perish. 



134 SUCCESS IX FARMING. 

GETTING A STAND. 

If Jill said above is true of clover — and those who liave 
had the most experience with it, will testify to these 
facts — farmers cannot well sow too much of it, and it 
becomes a matter of moment to know how to insure a 
stand. I believe that moderatel>' early sowing will gen- 
erally be found the safest; but localities and seasons 
vary so that no date can be given. It should be sown 
early enough so as to be covered by the action of frost, 
and 3'et not so earl}' as to be in danger of heavy frost 
after it comes up, as it is sometimes killed. If sown late, 
after the probability^ of frost is over, it is best to harrow 
the wheat, as this will give a better seed-bed for the 
clover, and at the same time be of benefit to the wheat. 
Many farmers are afraid of injuring the wheat in this 
way, but I have used a heavy, sharp harrow without 
injur3% Perhaps it would be better to use the Thomas, 
or some other slope-tooth harrow, and go over it both 
ways; but I should use a common tooth harrow if I had 
no other. It is of such vital importance to the farmer 
to get a stand of clover, in order that his rotation may 
not be broken up, that it will be pi*ofitable to take much 
pains in sowing clover, and I think it will pay to sow 
early and cross sow a little later, using, of course, but 
half the seed at each seeding. Oi'dinarily both sowings 
come up and do well, but if the first sowing should be 
killed by a late freeze, the second would be likely to do 
well, and should the weather come on diy and hot, the 
early seeding would be out of danger. 

When the farmer saves his own seed and sows in the 
chaff, as is often done, I would always recommend early 
sowing, as the seed will be slower in germinating, and 
the hull will also be a protection to the young plant. 

The quantity of seed to the acre must var}^ some- 



CLOVER. 135 

what with the soil and condition of seed-bed ; but under 
favorable circumstances a bushel will seed ten acres 
well, and this is the amount of seed most commonly 
sown. I prefer generally to seed heavier, and I notice 
that those who follow thrashing clovei; seed report the 
heaviest yield from heavj^ seeding, and some of them 
recommend ten pounds to the acre. 

SAVING CLOVER SEED. 

I have no hesitotion in advising farmers who can to 
save their own seed. It is not only economical, but also 
safe; for man}'' farmers, by buying seed, have introduced 
troublesome weeds, to the great detriment of their farms. 
Much seed that is old and worthless, or that is adulter- 
ated, is put upon the market, and doubtless many farm- 
ers who fail to get a stand, attribute it to the season, when 
it is really caused by poor seed. 

Clover seed is usually a profitable crop to grow for 
sale, as good clover ought to average two bushels of seed 
to the acre, and double this has often been grown; but 
even when not grown for sale, the farmer can grow 
enough for his own use, and sow it in the chaff", and 
I think that when sown early in this way it is surer than 
the clean seed. When a crop of seed is wanted, the 
first crop should be cut early in June; the second will 
then be read}" the last of August or first of September, 
which will be known by three-fourths of the heads hav- 
ing turned brown. It should be left by the reaper in 
bunches large enough for a good sized fork full. Do 
not let it stand till too ripe, or try to handle it much, or 
you will lose much of the seed. It is best to thrash 
from the field in a dry time, as it is difficult to stack so 
as to keep out the water, and it is too dusty to be pleas- 
ant in the barn. The waste will be valuable in the 
compost heap, or will make jin excellent mulch for 



130 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

the wheat or anything to which you wish to apply it. 

CLOVER HAY, 

Is excellent feed, especially for milk cows, but may be 
greatly injured, either by too much drying or too much 
wet. If dried too much, the leaves crumble, and the 
best part of it is wasted; or if left out in the rain, or 
put in the mow so green as to mould, it is unwholesome 
and unpalatable. After clover is fairly wilted, it should 
be cured in small cocks. It may be put in the barn 
quite green, if you have dry, old hay, or straw, or corn 
fodder to put between the layers, as they will absorb the 
moisture. If clover is cut green, it cannot be safely put 
in the barn with one day's curing without an absorbent. 

VARIETIES OF CLOVER. 

For general purposes, the common red is the best va- 
riety; but my experience with the Mammoth has been 
favorable, and I recommend farmers to experiment with 
it. It makes a larger growth of top and of course of 
root, and when the crop is grown with reference to its 
value for manure, it will certainly furnish a greater bulk 
than the common red. When the season is dry, it makes 
excellent hay, but in a wet season is apt to grow coarse 
and wood}^ and so rank as to lodge and be badly injured. 
I have cut three tons_ of it to the acre, cured, and the 
hay was equal to any clover. Where a little clover is 
wanted with timothy, it is best to sow this variety, as it 
ripens about with that grass. One and a half or two 
pounds of seed to the acre is enough when sown with 
timothy, as, if you get on much more than this, it will 
smother it. 

Alsike clover is a medium variet}-, finer than the com- 
mon red, with heads half way in size between that and 
white clover. It makes fine hay, and will cut a fair 
Bwath, and furnishes, like the white, good bee pasture. 



CLOViK. 137 

The seed sells at about 25 cents a pound, Init it is so 
fine that much less seed than of red clover will sow an 
acre. White clover is very seldom sown, but 1 think 
farmers would find it profitable to sow on poor spots 
where it is diflficult to get a stand of grasses, or on 
washy places on hillsides, as it is tenacious and seldom 
killed out when it gets a foothold. 

The reader will notice that I have not recommended 
plowing under the crop for enriching the land. It may 
be profitable under some circumstances, but ordinarily 
it will be worth more for other purposes, and as has been 
already shown, we get the mechanical effect and a full 
development of the roots, which are the most valuable 
part when we utilize the crop both for hay and seed. I 
would not, under any circumstances, plow under a heav}' 
growth of clover late in the season on land that was to 
be sown in wheat. I have known in several instances a 
total failure of crop from so doing. A moderate growth, 
especially if plowed under early, is not objectionable; 
but if a great mass is turned under late in the season, it 
is impossible to get a proper seed-bed. If I wanted to 
utilize the entire crop for the benefit of the land, I should 
rather let it stand all the season, without either cutting 
or pasturing, and if it was dry enough, so that it could 
be burned off by the last of August, I should burn it if 
I intended to soav in wheat, and then mellow three or 
four inches of the surface and sow the wheat. The 
largest crop of wheat I have ever heard of being grown in 
Ohio, and which averaged over sixty bushels to the 
acre, was where a field of Mammoth clover was burned. 
I think I should burn this crop also in the spring, if I 
"were intending to follow with corn. Another way highly 
recommended, when the entire crop is to be utilized for 
fertilizing purposes, is to cut the first crop and leave it 



138 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

as it falls, allowing the second crop to grow up through it. 

When pastured, clover should not be turned on too 
early or too heavily stocked, as if too closely cropped we 
lose the benefit of shade and development of root, and 
consequentl}' its value as a fertilizer is greatly reduced. 

One other point connected with the pasturing of clover 
is, that it sometimes causes bloat or hoven in cattle, so 
as to produce fatal results. Fortunatel}', I have had no 
experience with it on my farm, but I remember when a 
boy, my father lost a valuable cow, and I have known 
cases where a farmer has lost several head in a season. 
It is not prudent to turn hungry cattle into a clover field 
the first time in the spring, when the dew is on in the 
morning. I have talked with many farmers on this 
subject, and find that I can never hear of a case of 
bloat when the pasture contains a strip of blue grass or 
timothy, and as my pastures have always contained other 
grasses as well as clover, this may be the reason I have 
escaped it. Another preventive, which many farmers 
consider infallible, is to have a straw stack in the field, 
to which the cows can have access. 



CHAPTER XIY. 



POTATOES. 



While potatoes should find a place on every farm, there 
are serious drawbacks to growing them largely- as a field 
crop. The}'^ cannot, like grain, be kept over a ^-ear or 
more; but must be sold, whether the price gives a profit 
or not. It is a risky crop, also, more easily affected by 
drought, and often entirely ruined by continued wet 
weather; and as potatoes must be wintered in the cellar 
or in pits, they are far more expensive to handle than 
grain. 

Notwithstanding these disadvantages, the crop is a 
profitable one to the farmer who understands its proper 
management, and who follows growing it persistently, 
not allowing himself to be frightened into abandoning it 
by a failure or unprofitable season. It is certainly a safe 
estimate that two bushels of potatoes can be grown on 
the same land which would produce one of corn, and at an 
average price of 40 cents per bushel, the farmer would 
find them profitable. 

There seems to be a tendency to degeneration in the 
potato, which results, where a variety is planted for 
many 3'ears on the same soil, in " running out." But by 
selection and hybridizing, new and more valuable va- 
rieties are as constantly being produced, which replace 
those which have to be abandoned. 

It would be useless for me to give a list of varieties, 
for not only is their name legion, but each neighborhood 



140 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

has its favorites, and the variety tiiat does the best in 
one locality may not succeed in another. The farmer 
who would succeed with potatoes, should test some of 
the newer and more promising varieties each year, and 
while he is thus " proving all things" should also " hold 
fast that which is good." A single pound of seed will, 
if properly managed, pi'oduce a bushel or more, and en- 
able him to test the quality and grow enough the second 
year to plant a field. 

The first requisite for growing a profitable potato crop 
is a rich soil, and as the principal mineral element wanted 
is potash, and clover not only furnishes it, but also 
gives just the mechanical condition of soil wanted, a 
clover sod makes an excellent potato patch. The earlier 
the variety of potato the richer the land should be, for 
the less time a plant has in which to gather its food, 
the more concentrated and readily availal)le that food 
must be. A variety of potato, which, like the Peach- 
blow, does not mature till late in the fall, will produce 
paying crops on poor land, on which an early variety 
would scarcely produce a crop worth digging. 

I believe in deep planting of the potato, and always 
use, for laying off potato land, a shovel plow with a long 
point, which not only makes a deep furrow, but leaves 
loose earth in the bottom of it. I then step on the seed, 
pressing it down to the bottom of the furrow, cover with 
the plow, and before the potatoes come up, cross harrow. 
This kills the weeds which are starting, and loosens the 
soil, and if it does not make it sufficiently level and 
smooth, we put on the roller, for as soon as the potatoes 
can be seen in the row, we want to work as close to them 
as possible. 

For early potatoes, I prefer to plow in the fall and ma- 
nure at the surface, and in the spring work this manure 



POTATOES. 141 

into the soil before planting.* The best remedy I have 
ever found for the Colorado Beetle is a thrifty plant; and 
I have never had the crop materially injured if the 
ground was rich, the cultivation thorough, and the sea- 
son good. If the weather is dry, so as to check the 
growth, it may be necessary to use Paris green, and I 
very much prefer to use in water, A single application 
made in this way, using less than two pounds to the 
acre, during the dry summer of 1881, saved m}'^ crop, as 
was proven by the fact that the adjoining rows, left 
without this application, were entirely ruined. 

I believe that as a rule, farmers use too much seed. 
One piece with two good ej-es in a hill is sufficient. I be- 
lieve the best way to save seed is to select each year very 
carefully, a bushel of "stock seed." They should be 
fair, large tubers, as near perfect as can be found; from 
these select tubers grow 3'our seed for the coming year, 
and from their product again select your " stock seed." 

I have conducted some very careful experiments, 
which prove that a fine crop of large potatoes can be 
grown from very small seed, and while I recommend the 
plan given above for selecting seed, I do not hesitate 
when potatoes are scarce and high, to plant very small 
seed. 

My first experiment was in 1857. 1 had grown a very 
fine crop the previous year, and did not sell till spring, 
and when marketing in Api'il, I selected one bushel of 
the most perfect potatoes I could pick out of one hun- 
dred bushels. I rejected any potato that weighed less 
than a pound, or that had a blemish or rough place on 



*Our most successful potato-growers are very particular 
about having the soil as rich as possible, and consider it a crop 
that not only can scarcely be manured too much, but that tew 
crops pay better for being manured. k. s. 1. 



142 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

it. I then selected a half peck of the meanest little po- 
tatoes I could find. Not one of them would have weighed 
an ounce, and whei'e I could I broke off the protuberances 
from the rough, knobby potatoes. I planted five rows 
side by side from each kind of seed, gave them the same 
cultivation, and when I dug them put them in two piles 
side by side, and called four men who were building a 
barn near, to examine them, telling them of the selection 
of the seed, but not which pile grew from the large or 
small. The three journeymen said they could see no 
difference in quality or quantity, but the boss carpenter 
made a careful comparison and decided that the north 
pile was of the best quality, which I then told him grew 
from the small seed. 

In the spring of 1860 potatoes were high and I found 
that 1 had not seed to finish what I wished to plant, and 
I used as seed some very small potatoes, which I had 
put in the cellar to cook for the pigs. I planted about 
half an acre.from this seed. The crop grown from them 
was an excellent one, both in yield and quality. Some 
years later I planted a row of Early Rose potatoes from 
seed so small that it took ten to weigh an ounce, and the 
adjoining row from good sized seed, and found no differ- 
ence in the j- ield. 

I consider it important that the seed should be fresh 
and i)lump. I do not like a shriveled potato for seed; 
it does not start the plant with vigor; and I think it 
much better to winter seed potatoes in pits than in 
the cellar. If the soil is dry, or slopes so as to give 
good surface drainage, there is no trouble in wintering 
in pits, and there is much less labor about it than in 
carrying them into and out of the cellar. Much time 
can be saved in handling potatoes by assorting as they 
are dug. Let the men who follow the diggers pick up 



POTATOES. 143 

only the merchantable potatoes and pour them into sacks, 
only one bushel to the sack. When you are ready to 
haul them to the pit, two men can load or unload a 
wagon. in less than tcu minutes, and the potatoes will 
not be so likely to be bruised. I am particular about 
having but one bushel in a sack, for then they will not 
need to be tied, and it will not take as long to load and 
unload as it would to tie and untie the sacks, and they 
can be handled with much greater ease. 

In pitting potatoes, I prefer to put no straw next to 
them. If I have a supply of good coarse manure, I cover 
simply with eighteen inches of mellow earth, and as soon 
as the ground freezes so as to bear a team, \>\it a foot of 
manure over them. If I do not use manure, I cover with 
six or eight ihche of earth and then a coat of straw and 
eighteen inches of earth over that. I consider this safer 
than to have the straw next the potatoes, for if the straw 
gets damp, as it is ^kely to, and the frost reaches it, 
it is pretty sure to go through it, but is not likely to pene- 
trate the second covering of earth. 

As there is both labor and risk in wintering potatoes, 
and it is impossible to know what the price will be in 
spring, I think it safest to sell in the fall — at least half 
the crop, if a paying price can be had. I once wintered 
four hundred bushels of potatoes that I was offered 80 
cents a bushels for, and in the spring I could not get an 
offer, and was obliged to feed them to stock. This ex- 
perience made me cautious and I have never held over all 
of a crop since.* 



*A plan of growing potatoes much in use in some section- 
is planting them under straw. The potatoes are planted shals 
low and a foot of straw spread over the field. Another plan is 
to simply lay the potatoes on top of the fresnly plowed land 
and cover with straw as before, though I have less seldom seen 
this plan successful. The advantages are that the straw keeps 



144 SUCCKSS IN FARMING. 

SWEET POTATOES. 

I have found sweet potatoes a uniformly profitable 
crop. 

Although the usual instructions are to plant on sandy 
land, I have had the best success on a rather stiff clay^ 
and can always confidentl}' expect both a good yield 
and quality, even on thin land, if I have fine rotted ma- 
nure to give it a moderate dressing. The most success- 
ful sweet potato-grower of my acquaintance does not 
break his laud, but ridges it, leaving the land hard un- 
derneath. I should do this if it was not troublesome to 
get the land fine and mellow when in this shape; but I 
prefer to plow shallow — not over four inches — and stir 
and roll until the soil is perfectly pulverized and the ma- 
nure thoroughly mixed. I then make small ridges by 
throwing two furrows together with a one-horse plow» 
and leave a little strip of earth between the ridges, as we 
shall want it to dress the plants with when we come ta 
hoe them. 

Most sweet potato-growers plant in a row on this 
ridge, and it saves time, for you can get the soil in such, 
excellent order that you will not need to touch it with a 
hoe. I am convinced, liowever, from repeated compari- 
son of hills and drills, that it will pay to make small 
hills. A hand will make from twelve to fifteen hundred 
in a da}^, and I find the potatoes are larger and the yield 
greater in hills than in drills. I make the hills about 
three feet apart each way, a little more between the rows, 

down the weeds, saves cultivation, and undoubtedly enriches 
the land. In Southern Illinois where I have tried the plan 
year after year the straw would always be so fully r(jtted at the 
end of the 6( ason, that it ^ave no trouble. In the drier atmos- 
phere of Ohio I find this is not always the case. The plan usu- 
ally gives a rather smaller crop than when cultivated, but 
more good potatoes. R. s. t. 



SWEET POTATOES. 145 

and a little less in the row, and this gives nearly five 
thousand hills to the acre, and a pound of merchantable 
potatoes to the hill makes over eightj^ bushels to the acre. 

We have several objects in view in this shallow plow- 
ing and small hills: First, they warm through better, 
and the sweet potato being a tropical plant, cannot flour- 
ish in a cold soil. The weather is rarely too hot or too 
dry for this crop. Second, we want the potatoes to grow 
thick instead of long, and when they reach the hard soil 
underneath, it checks the lateral growth and gives a bet- 
ter shaped tuber; and, third, in growing thick instead of 
long, they crack and loosen the hill, and this keeps it in 
good condition after the vines have spread so that cul- 
tivation is impossible. 

I think it pays to keep the vines on half the ground, 
keeping every other space clear. This gives the hills 
more sun, and it is much easier to dig the potatoes, and 
enables you to bury all the vines as you dig. We use 
the potato hook in digging, and one stroke to a hill will 
generally do the work. In digging, take two rows at a 
time, walk on, the vines and draw the hills towards you 
from each side, and by a little trouble you can bury 
every leaf. 

KEEPING SWEET POTATOES. 

I have found that if sweet potatoes are mature and 
thoroughly dried, there is no trouble in keeping them 
in a dry cellar nearly all winter, but they should be 
handled as carefully as eggs, for if bruised they are 
sure to rot. The potatoes which I intend to keep 
for winter use I spread out singl}^ in the hottest sun- 
shine for two or tliree days, and then pack in barrels, 
with dry sawdust between the layers. Immature sweet 
potatoes are not wholesome, but when thoroughly ripened 
they are an excellent article of diet. 
• 10 



146 SUCCKSS IN FARMING. 

SPROUTING SWEET POTATOES. ' • 

If 3-011 intend to grow sweet potatoes in any qiiantity-j 
you should always grow j'our own plants. With even 
fair success, it will be much cheaper than buying them, 
but oven if it cost more I would recommend it, as better 
plants can l)c grown, and then you can take advantage 
of morning and evening or a damp day to transplant, 
and the plants will always be fresh. Most of those who 
grow plants for sale crowd them in the bed until they 
are spindled and weak; but in growing for 3'ourself you 
can regard quality rather than quantity, and give them 
plenty of room. 

It took me ten years to learn to sprout sweet potatoes, 
during which time I lost a part or all ray seed nearly (-very 
year. For many years I have been uniformly success- 
ful, and I believe I can give instructions which will ena- 
ble the novice to be successful from the start. I think 
nine times out often when sweet potatoes rot in the bedj 
it is from an excess of heat, and if you have as much 
bottom heat as you need, and allow the sun to heat up 
the bed from above, it is almost certain to result in 
scalded potatoes. I have never lost the potatoes or failed 
to get a good sprout since I adopted the plan of covering 
the bed with straw or corn fodder. This enables me to 
control the temperature, and also keeps the bed moist, 
so that it will need no water until the plants begin to 
come up, when we remove the covering and do not re- 
place it; but if there is danger of frost, cover the bed 
with boards. If at any time you find the bed lacks heat, 
take off the straw at nine or ten o'clock on a bright, 
sunny day, and sometime between twelve and two, when 
you find it warmed up, replace it. I make a sweet po- 
tato bed flat, and put hot manure one foot deep, and two 
feet wider and longer than my frame which I put oa 



SWEET POTATOES. 147 

the manure. If you put the manure in the frame, the 
outer edges of the bed are. likely to be cold. The ma- 
nure must be thoroughly shaken up, so as to have no 
lumps, and must be well packed, but instead of tramp- 
ing it, take two short pieces of board, and moving one 
ahead of the other alternately, pass from end to end» 
springing up and down on the boards. This will pack 
it evenly. For a frame use inch boards one foot wide. 
A convenient size for the bed is six by sixteen feet, 
which will hold, as ordinarily put in, one barrel of pota- 
toes. There should be four inches of earth between the 
potatoes and the manure, and three inches above them, 
and the seed should never be put in the bed until it is 
about blood heat. Water copiously when the plants are 
coming up, but it will harden them to withhold water 
when they are large enough to set out; but the bed should 
be well soaked a few hours before the plants are drawn. 
If you do not break the roots of the potatoes in taking 
up the plants, you will have a second drawing in about 
two weeks. 

The usual time for putting the seed in the hot bed is 
the middle of April; but if early potatoes are wanted, a 
few should be started in March and transplanted into 
small pots, and these plunged in a fresh bed, by which 
means some weeks can be gained. Sweet potatoes bear 
transplanting well, and if the land is in good condition 
and plants properly set, nearly all will grow. In setting 
out the plants, puddling is much better than watering, 
besides being less trouble. In making the puddle use 
fresh cow dung and enough clayey soil so that ii will 
adhere to the roots. Stir and thicken until it is of a 
consistency to coat the roots thickly when dipped into 
it. Put one plant in a hill; set it deep and crowd the 
earth so tight at the roots that if you take hold of a leaf 



148 SUCCESS IN FARMINO. 

and give a quick jerk, a piece of the leaf will break out 
instead of the plant coming up by the roots, then with 
hands on each side of the hill, draw up the mellow earth 
so as to leave but an inch or so of the plant above gi'ound, 
and almost every plant will grow. In cultivating, all 
that is necessary, if you have followed my directions, is 
to keep down the weeds, for the potatoes, when they 
grow, will crack the hill and make it loose. 



CHAPTER Xy. 



RYE ON THE FARM. 

ITS VALUE AND USES. 

I do not consider rye a profitable ci'op to grow for 
grain, and iisuall}^ prefer to buy my seed rather than to 
raise it, and yet as a crop I value it highly. 

It is hard}', useful for a great many purposes, and can 
l)e grown at but little expense. 

I have already spoken of it as a green manure and of 
the fact that it can be grown for this purpose between 
two crops of corn without losing the use of the land a 
season. The straw brings in our city markets nearly as 
much as the best timoth}' hay, and the market is never 
overstocked with it. 

The railroads refuse to carr}^ r3'e straw unless baled, 
but the farmer who lives near a city so that he can 
T\'agon it to market will find it a ver}-- profitable crop. 

Rye is of great value for pasture, and stock can be 
turned on it two weeks before an}- other pasture is ready 
iind it will furnish a large amount of feed. Sometimes, 
■on account of a dry spring, we fail to get a stand of grass 
or clover, and this is a great disadvantage, as our rota- 
tion calls for the pasture field of one year for the corn 
field of the next. Rye helps us out of the difficulty. We 
can plow the stubble field and seed .with rye and timo- 
thy, or take the stubble field for corn or wheat, and seed 
a corn field with rye and timothy for the pasture. The 
rye will furnish early feed, and the timothy will not be 



150 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

damaged hy the tramping, and by the time the rye is too 
old, will furnish good food. 

Rye is useful in preventing washing. If a gully has 
started in a pasture, rye can be scattered ou the bottom 
and sides, and when it starts to grosv it will protect the 
young grass and hold the soil until a sod forms. 

Rye st^raw makes the best possible material for bind- 
ing corn fodder. 

Early cut rye straw is an excellent food for horses^ 
when cut up. It is soft, bright, free from dust, nutri- 
tious, and makes a good substitute for sheaf oats. 

I have seen a statement of two crops of rye grown in Mas- 
sachusetts, that produced over four tons of straw to the 
acre. This was the result of liberal manuring and heavy 
seeding. 

CULTIVATION AND MANAGEMENT. 

The cultivation of rye is extremely simple. It should 
be sown at the same time of year as wheat, but the exact 
date of planting is of much less importance. It can be 
sown among corn immediately after the last j)lowing, if 
the cultivation has been continued late, and left to take 
care of itself; and I have made a good crop when sown. 
80 late in the fall that it did not come i p till the ground 
thawed the following spring. It will grow even though 
only scattered on the surface of the land and left uncov- 
ered, though of course it is better to treat it with more 
care. 

I have seen the statement, though I could not vouch for 
its truth, that rye scattered broadcast on a tough 
prairie sod will grow, and so completely root out the 
prairie grass that the land can be readily j)iowed the 
following year. Land must be poor, indeed, on which 
rye will not grow; but of course when grown as a fertil- 
izing crop, the more barn-yard manure can be applied as 



RYE ON THE FAKM. 



151 



a top dressing at seeding, the greater will be the im- 
provement of the land. When sown for grain, I would 
sow from three to four pecks to the acre; for straw or 
pasture, somewhat heavier, and for fertilizer, as much as 
three or four bushels to the acre. 

I always cut rye when in blossom, which, in my lati- 
tude, is from the middle to the last of May. The straw 
is tougher and more pliable if cut then than if the grain 
is allowed to ripen; and moreover, in using the straw for 
bands in tying fodder, you will not get the corn field 
seeded down to rye, which is a great drawback if you 
sow wheat on j^our corn land. I never could get rye 
straw thrashed so clean that it would not scatter seed 
afterward, if the grain had been allowed to ripen. 

If clover is sown with the rye, the early cutting I have 
recommended gives the clover a long summer in which 
to develop, and it will make quite a crop to turn under 
for corn the next year. 

I should expect land to steadily improve, growing a 
crop of corn and a crop of rye straw alternate years, pro- 
vided clover was sown with the rye. 



CHAPTER XYI. 



SPECIAL CROPS. 

There are quite a number of crops, which, though not 
grown on CA'cr^' farm, are nevertheless in many cases 
profitable. 

BARLEY. 

The same rules laid down for wheat will be applica- 
ble for barley. 

OATS. 

Like wheat, oats require a compact seed-bed, and on 
corn land it is best not to plow, but simpl}- to cultivate 
the soil with some of the improved harrows or pulver- 
izers, \intil the surface is thoroughly mellow. Even on 
stul)])le land some of the best crops have been groAvn by 
simply cultivating with the double corn plow, or harrow- 
ing and cross harrowing with the Randall Harrow, or 
some similar implement. The great point is a compact 
seed-bed Avith a well pulverized surface. 

Sow as early as the ground can be worked. I once 
sowed in Februarj^ on a piece of flat clay land, and the 
month following was so excessively wet that the land 
was like mortar, and the weather then turned cold, snow 
fell, and thermometer went down to eight degrees above 
zero, and yet I got a good crop. 

FODDER CORN 

Can be made a crop of much greater value and impor- 
tance than some farmers are inclined to believe. There 
should be at least a small patch grown on every farm, so 



SPECIAL CROPS. 153 

as to furnish the cows feed in case of a dry spell and 
consequent short pastures. I believe that an acre of 
land will produce more food in this crop than in any 
other that can be grown on it. 

But by fodder corn I do not mean sowed corn, which 
I consider ver}- poor food for stock. Sowed corn has to 
he cut while immature, and therefore innutritious, and 
Is very troublesome to cure. 

Fodder corn, planted as I shall recommend, will de- 
velop so as to make sweet, nutritious food, and in fa- 
vorable years will mature small ears, which will greatly 
add to its value. 

George Waring, in his experience with dairy stock on. 
Ogden Farm, was so pleased with it that he wrote : 

" Coi'n for grain, never ; 
Corn for fodder forever ! " 

Fodder corn ma}' be planted quite late. I have grown 
heavy crops on land from which the early potatoes had 
teen dug; but June is about the best time. It is most 
easily planted with a drill-; and with a force-feed wheat 
drill from two to three rows can be planted at a time. 
The rows should be three feet apart, so as to admit of 
cultivation. Do not get it too thick in the rows 

Blount's Prolific is the most profitable variety for fod- 
der, as it produces several small ears to the stalk and a 
large quantity of blades. Stowell Evergreen is excel- 
lent, but any field variety will do. 

As soon as fully grown, and the ears beginning to 
harden, fodder corn can be cut up and shocked as other 
<5orn, and when cured can be stacked or hauled into the 
barn. 

BROOM CORN. 

This crop requires a large amount of labor, but is 
often very profitable. The man with a small farm will 



154 SUCCESS IN FAKMIXG, 

sometimes find employment for winter and largely in- 
crease his profits by growing this crop and manufac- 
turing it himself The machinery for manufacturing 
costs but a few dollars, and the business is easily and 
quickly learned. 

Broom corn requires a warm, rich soil. The best corn 
and barley land is suited to it, and it is very important 
tluit the field be clean, as the plant comes up small and 
weak and starts rather slowly. 

Be sure to have good seed. I would put it in water, 
and reject all tliat would not sink, even though it took 
ten bushels of seed from which to get one. 

Do not plant till the weather is settled and the ground 
Avarm. I prefer to plant by hand, in rows three feet 
apart, making a iiill every two feet in the row, with from 
six to ten stalks in the hill. This gives much more la- 
bor than drilling, but you save the subsequent labor 
of thinning, and it is easier to cultivate and "table." 

Cultivation should be thorough, and no weeds be per- 
mitted to grow. If 3'our land is clean and you have fen- 
ders to your plow so as to enable 3'ou to get close to it 
while young, a crop can be grown without hoeing; but 
it is better to hoe than to allow it to become weedy. 

As soon as it is fully grown it is ready to cut, and the 
brush will be worth nearly double what it will be if the 
seed is allowed to ripen. Before cutting, it is " tabled" 
— by which we mean that t>vo rows are broken about two 
feet from the ground, so that the stalks fall diagonally 
across each other and the brush projects into the inter- 
vening spaces. When the brush is cut it is laid on these 
" tables," which form an excellent place for it to cure, as 
the air can circulate through it and the water run off. 
As soon as possible after cutting, it should be scraped and 
cured in sheds on racks, as this makes it tough and pliable. 



SPECIAL CROPS. 155 

A supply of these racks must be kept on hand, and it 
therefore does not pay to grow broom corn unless you 
expect to follow it regularly. These racks should be 
moveable, so that the sheds can be used for storing fod- 
der or other purposes, when not in use for the broom 
corn. 

An average crop is about five hudred pounds of cured 
brush per acre; but on good land this is sometimes dou- 
bled. The price fluctuates greatl}'. I have known it to 
sell for three hundred dollars a ton, and as low as forty; 
but it usually brings a paying price and can be easily 
stored and held over when the price is too low. 

NAVY BEANS 

May often be grown at a profit, and leave the ground in 
excellent condition for wheat. After the bean crop has 
been harvested, the ground needs only a thorough har- 
rowing, and will produce as heavy a crop of wheat as 
can be grown on it. 

The land should be plowed early and worked occa- 
sionally, to kill the weeds and get it in good condition. 
I usually plant about the tenth of June, using the wheat 
drill, stopping enough hoes to" make the rows about two 
feet apart. From three to four pecks of seed are re- 
quired for an acre. 

The crop should not be allowed to become weedy, but 
will need little cultivation, as it will soon so shade the 
ground that nothing else will grow. The beans usually 
ripen about the first of September, but sometimes will 
keep green a ^veek or two later. In this case they may be 
pulled while the pods are yet green, and cured in the 
barn, or stacked and cured in the field. To stack it, 
set up a stake in the ground, sharp at the top. Arrange 
some sticks of wood around the stake to keep the beans 
off the ground, or put two long pins through it in oppo- 



156 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

48ite directions, about a foot from the ground ; then slide 
the beans down over the point of the stake till it is full 
to the top. Unless the weather is exceedingly bad, they 
will cure perfectly. 

PUMPKINS. 

I have found this a profitable crop for fall feeding. 
They come in at a time when pasture is usuall}^ short, 
and are a valuable feed for both cattle and hogs. Fed 
to cows, the}^ increase the flow of the milk, improve the 
•qualit^^ and the color of butter. There is a preva- 
lent opinion that the seeds must be removed in 
feeding to milk cows, or they will check the flow of 
milk, and there is considerable evidence to this effect; 
but in a long experience I have not found this to be the 
case. 

For hogs the}' are not only highly fattening, but suppl}' 
the need for variety, enabling them to relish other food 
better. 

They are usually grown in the corn field, a littlcseed 
being mixed with the corn in the hopper of planter or 
<lrill; but I prefer to grow alone, and as, with moderate 
care, they are wonderfully productive, a very small piece 
of land may be made to produce all any farmer can use, 
and the trouble of having them among the corn avoided. 
By the use of manure in the hill, they can be grown on 
quite poor land. 

Plant in hills eight feet apart each way, manuring lib- 
erally in the hill if you wish a heavy crop. Use plenty 
of seed, as it is cheap and not alwa3's certain. When 
the plants are thoroughly established, thin to three in a 
hill, which will be sufficient to cover the land. Do not 
f)lant till the weather is quite warm and settled, my 
best crops have been planted the last of May or first of 
June. 



SPECIAL CROPS. 157 

For variety, I prefer the yellow-ribbed, known as the 
"Yankee Pumpkin," it is more productive than the va- 
riety usually grown at the West, and the flesh being thin- 
ner and less firm, cattle can eat them without chopping.* 

ROOT CROPS. 

More of these would be profitable on many farms, and 
are excellent food for dairy cattle; in fact, for stock of 
almost every kind. 

Mangolds, or sugar beets, are the best and most pro- 
lific of all, and do not impart any objectionable flavor to 
tho milk of cows fed on them. Five hundred bushels to 
the acre is a moderate yield, and more than double this 
has been grown. The Yellow Globe Mangold is the best 
on most soils; but I would advise the beginner to try 
different varieties and see which suits his particular soil 
the best. It is well to begin any new crop on a small 
scale, and increase as you gain experience. 

They require rich land, and give a liberal return foi- 
liberal manuring. Plow in fall into beds twelve to twenty 
feet wide, and so arranged that the water will run off. 
If your manure is coarse, plow it under in fall, but if 
fine and well rotted, save it and applj^ as a top dressing 
in the spring. 

As early in the spring as the ground can be worked 
nicely, mellow your beds and put in the seed in rows two 
and a half feet apart. Plant just as early as the weather 
will permit. I always get them planted in March or 



*We are surprised that Mr. Brown, with his Yankee extrac- 
tion, should have failed to mention one of the great uses of the 
pumpkin, namely, pumpkin pie. The great problem is, how 
to keep them, so that this dcHcious article be not restricted to 
Thanksgiving and Christmas. If a few choice sound pump- 
kins be laid on a shelf in a dry cellar, safe from frost, and each 
be turned over every day, they can in many cases be kept for 
many months. The rotting of the pumpkin is caused by the 
water in the flesh settling to one side. b. s. t. 



158 - SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

April if possible. The frost will not injure them. 

As soon as the plants are large enough, thin to one 
foot apart in the rows, and if any vacancies are found, 
fill them by transplanting. This early thinning is im- 
portant, as the crop will be greatly damaged if not 
thinned at the proper time. 

Keep the land clean. 

The distances I have recommended will give over sev- 
enteen thousand plants to the acre, and at an average of 
two pounds each, would furnish nearly six hundred 
bushels. 

The crop may be stored in the cellar, or pitted, like po- 
tatoes. The best time to use them i« the latter part of 
winter, as they go through a ripening process which im- 
proves them, and cattle are more in need of a loosening 
feed at that time. 

TuuNips. — The common flat turnip is the easiest grown 
of all the root crops, and I have sold single crops for 
more than the land on which they were grown was worth. 
I have grown five hundred bushels to the acre, and often 
two hundred and fifty and tjiree hundred. When the 
crop can be sold for an^'thing over 20 cents a bushel, it 
is very profitable, and I have sold them by the car load 
at 33 cents, and by the wagon load at 60 cents per bushel. 
The crop can be grown so cheaply that if you get a fair 
price once in three years and feed to cattle the other 
years, it will pay to grow them. 

The actual cost of growing and pitting when you get 
a good yield, will not exceed 5 cents a bushel. 

Many persons fail in growing turnips from lack of a 
knowledge of the requisites of success. The essentials 
are that the ground should be moderately rich, well com- 
pacted, and mellow on the surface, and that the turnips 
should come up quickly and get the start of the weeds. 



SPECIAL CROPS. 159 

It is useless to sow turnips on the surface of a freshly 
plowed field. The more hard, beating rains it has after 
plowing the better, but it must be free from weeds. 

It was the practice in New England half a century 
ago, to plow the turnip land in the spring, fold the sheep 
on it all summer, and then merely loosen the surface 
with a harrow sufficient to enable the seed to be covered. 
This secured— the packing of the land by the tramping 
of the sheep, its fertilization by their droppings, and 
also protection from the turnip Ilea, as the oil from the 
wool destroys them. 

I recently heard of this plan being tried in Ohio: A 
piece of stubble land was plowed in July, and the sheep 
turned on it each night till planting time. Part of the 
land being a little muddy, the sheep avoided it, and lay 
every night on one side of the field. On that side a heavy 
croo was grown, while on the side avoided by the sheep 
the crop was entirely destroyed by the flea. 

I like to plant on a clover sod, from which a crop of 
clover has been cut. This should be plowed in June, 
and repeatedlj' rolled and harrowed, for the double pur- 
pose of getting a compact bed and destroying weeds. If 
you can also fold sheep on it part of the time, as above 
suggested, of course so much the better. If the land 
is poor, it should have, before planting, a light dressing 
of well fined manure, or about two hundred pounds of 
superphosphate per acre. 

The best time in this latitude for sowing turnips is 
the first week in August, but if the weather is favorable, 
it will do to sow a week earlier or later. In a favorable 
fall they will bottom if sown the first of September. 

When the time for sowing has come, wait for a rain, 
and as soon after the rain as the ground can be worked 
without packing, sow, and cover by drawing a plank 



160 SUCCESS IN FARJUXQ. 

over the land. This smoothes the surface, presses the 
soil against the seed and insures quick germination. If 
you are planting several acres, a horse can be hitched to 
each end of a sixteen-foot plank and a quick job made of 
it. Many persons prefer planting just before a rain, so 
as to let the rain wash the seed into the soil. This saves 
the labor of covering, but often loses the crop. The rain 
forms a crust which prevents the plants from making a 
thrifty start, and destruction by the fly is often the con- 
sequence; and if the plants do grow, the weeds get the 
start with them. When sown as I direct, after a rain, 
the plants come up thrifty and strong and get the start 
of the weeds. 

Turnips can be pitted in exactly the same manner as 
directed for potatoes. 

They form an excellent feed for eattle, but in many 
cases it is found that when fed to milk cows they im- 
]»art a disagreeable flavor to the milk. It is claimed by 
some that this can be avoided by only feeding them im- 
mediately after milking. 



CHAPTER Xyil. 



FRUIT ON THE FARM. 

THE VALUE OF FRUIT. 

Eveiy farmer can secure from fruit not only enjoj-ment, 
but health and profit, and it has been a surprise to me 
that so many of our farms are destitute of this luxury. 

I see man}' farms on which an inventory of the fruit 
trees would show nothing but a neglected apple orchard 
— which probably was planted before the owner was born 
— a few sour cherries, surounded by a wilderness of 
sprouts, and possibly a few seedling peaches, either in 
the calf pasture, or allowed to grow in the fence corners, 
where they will not take up room that could be used for 
corn and potatoes. 

Not only is an abundant supply of fruit a great luxury, 
but it forms a cheap and healthful article of diet, and 
one that can be enjoyed the whole year through, for a 
constant succession may easily be secured from the time 
we gather the first strawberries till the last clusters of 
grapes are eaten, and then we can have the closets stored 
with canned fruit, and the cellars filled with winter 
apples. 

The health of our people would be better if more fruit 
was annually consumed. 

Nor is it a difficult matter. The same care and com- 
mon sense needed to produce a crop of corn will insure 
success in the production of a crop of fruit. 

In addition to the apple orchard, there should be a 
11 



162 SUCCESS IX FARMING. 

fruit lot on every farm, containing cherries, pears, plums, 
quinces and peaches. Raspberries, currants arid straw- 
berries should have their place, and grape vines should 
cover the outbuildings, or run on trellises along the walks 
and drives. 

I have on my farm such a plat, containing less than 
an acre, and for the past five years it has not only sup- 
plied all the fruit we could use in the family, and al- 
lowed us to put up each year a liberal amount of canned 
fruit, but we have also sold an average of over $60 worth 
of fruit a year. 

A curious fact connected with this last item is that most 
of this fruit has been sold to farmers who could have 
bought the trees and set out a fruit lot the same size as 
mine for less than what they pay me each year. 

FKUIT FOK PKOPIT. 

There is always a market for really fine fruit, and 
friiit-growing is a business I would recommend to the 
young man of enterprise, if he is within reach of a good 
market and will take the pains to make himself ac- 
quainted with the business. A small amount of land 
will bring a large income in good seasons, and if it con- 
tain a general variety of fruit, some will be sure to pro- 
duce every year. 

Before planting largely, visit and consult with the 
fruit-growers of your neighborhood. Even farmers who 
grow little fruit may be able to give you valuable ad- 
vice on the varieties to plant. It would be folly to plant 
blackberries extensively where the rust prevailed, or 
plums where there was black knot, or pears where 
blight was destructive. 

Were I going into the business, and had ten acres of 
suitable land to plant, I would set one acre (160 trees) 
in Early Richmond cherries, one acre (160 trees) in 



;!'!il 



!iTr 



FRUIT ON THE FARM. 163 

Shropshire Damson plums, one acre (302 trees) in 
quinces, one acre in grapes in variet}-, setting the rows 
north and south, and planting strawberries between. 
One acre I would reserve for garden and experimenting 
with new varieties of strawberries, and five acres I would 
plant in winter apples and in peaches, giving 200 trees 
of the former and 600 of the latter. I should not attempt 
to set out all these in one year, nor in two; but should 
put out each year what I could do well and take care of. 
My reason for the proportion given is, that I know 
how these trees succeed in my locality and the prices 
they command in the markets I have access to. Here 
peaches bear full}^ half the years, grapes and quinces 
nine years out of ten, cherries of the varieties named 
four years out of five, and the Damson plums are reliable 
bearers, though no other variety can be depended on. 
Of course, in some other locality all this would be differ- 
ent ; hence my advice to the beginnei' to carefully study 
the peculiarities of his own location and market before 
commencing his orchard. 

LOCATION OP THE ORCHARD. 

A northern or eastern exposure is better than one to 
the south. Hilly land, unfitted for cultivation^ often 
makes excellent land for fruit. The best land is a roll- 
ing clay, with good natural drainage; the worst, for 
most varieties of fruit, is a rich black loam or alluvial 
soil. 

Of course, when possible, the orchard should be near 
the house, both for convenience of the family and pro- 
tection of the fruit. 

SELECTION OF TREES. 

The first need in tree planting is to get healthj'' young 
trees, true to name. Be sure and buy of responsible 
men. I would as soon trust a " three-card-monte" man 



164 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

as a fruit tree agent of whom I knew nothing. Thous- 
ands of dollars are paid out every year for worse thaa 
'worthless stock, and at prices double what the best 
stock could have been purchased for from responsible 
men. And yet those who allow themselves to be thus 
swindled seem to be shrewd business men in other trans- 
actions. 

After an experience of twenty-five j-ears, durimg which 
time I have set out and fruited over a thousand trees, I 
can fully indorse the following advice, which I copy from 
the catalogue of an experienced nurseryman: 

PLANT YOUNG TREES. 

They cost less at the nursery, in freight charges, also in 
handhng and planting. 

They are surer to grow, having more and better roots in 
proportion to the size of their tops. Large trees lose in moving 
more of their fibrous roots. 

Having less top and almost perfect roots, the small trees 
become established sooner, and grow vigorously at once. 

Making most of their growth on the ground where tlaey 
are to stand, the small trees soon become adapted to the soil 
and location, and the planter can train them to such shajie as 
he desires. 

If yon give these young trees good care, you will not lose 
any time, but will get a handsomer and more valuable orchard. 

AVe find that the most experienced and successful tree 
planters will not buy large trees, but invariably prefer one- 
and two-year old trees. 

CHOICE OF VARIETIES. 

I am indebted for the following list to my brother, B, 
H. Brown, who, as a nurseryman and fruit-grower, has 
made a careful study of the matter, and has tested every 
variety named, as well as many which he has discarded. 
This list is what he would recommend for famil}' use; 
but the beginner must remember what has already been 
said about consulting the needs of his own locality. 

Apples. — Early: Early Harvest, Benoni, Red Astra- 
chan. Fall : Maiden Blush, Porter, Bellmont, Fall Wine, 
Fall Pippin, Jersey Sweet. Winter: Yellow Bellflower^ 



FRUIT ON THE FARM. 165 

Baldwin, Smith Cider, Rambo, White Pippin, Wine Sap, 
Golden Russet, Ben Davis, Rome Beauty, Rawles Janette, 
Wagoner. 

Peaches. — Troth's Early, Early Amsden, Crawford's 
Early, Crawford's Late, Smock, Stump the World, Old 
Mixon, Switzerland, Oxford Late, Heath Cling, Salway. 

Pears. — Bartlett, Osband's Summer, Sheldon, Tyson, 
Seckle, Clapp's Favorite, Lawrence. Duchess, Bloodgood. 

Cherries. — Earlv Richmond, May Duke, Early Pur- 
ple Quigne, Bowman's May, Elton, Black Tartarian, and 
■Governor Wood. 

Currants. — White Grape, Red Dutch, Versailes. 

Raspberries. — Black : Gregg, Mammoth Cluster. Red : 
Turner, Cuthbert. 

Strawberries. — Cumberland Triumph, Sharpless, 
Crescent Seedling, Charles Downing, Kentucky. 

Blackberries. — Lawton, Kittatinny, Snyder. 

Grapes. — Hartford Prolific, Concord, Martha, Lady, 
Catawba. 

Plums. — Shropshire Damson-. 

Quince. — Orange. 

The following list is for a large orchard, and gives the 
number of each variety recommended for an orchard of 
•one thousand apple. Smith Cider 300, Wine Sap 200, Ben 
Davis 200, Rome Beauty 100, White Pippin 100, Rawles 
Janette 100. 

Of one thousand peaches, set Switzerland 200, Old 
Mixon 150, Stump the World 150, Smock 150, Oxford 
Late 100, Ward's Late 50, Gudgeon's Late 50, Troth's 
:Early 50, Salway 50, Heath Cling 50. 

For one hundred pears, plant Bartlett 25, Duchess 20, 
Beurre Clairgean 15, Clapp's Favorite 10, Flemish 
Beauty 10, Seckle 5, Tyson 5. 

For one hundred cherries, plant Early Richmond 50, 



166 SUCCESS IX FARMING. 

Elton 20, Black Tartaiiaii 10, May Duke 10, Govenior 
Wood 10. 

DISTANCES IN PLANTING, 

Apples may l)e planted thirty three feet apart each 
way; pears sixteen to twenty feet; peaches and plums 
sixteen feet; small varieties, of cherries, such as Early 
Richmond and Morello, sixteen feet; large heart cherries 
twenty feet; quinces twelve feet. 

In all cases, where the width of planting is less than 
twenty feet, it is well to leave every fifth space twenty 
feeit, so as to enable you to drive through with the Wagon 
to haul in manure and liaul out the fruit. 

Where an apple orchard is to be planted, and you 
wish to grow peaches at the same time, the, apples may 
be set thirty-three feet apart each wa}^, and peaches set 
between, thus — 'the stars representing the apples and the 
x's the peaches: 



This will give on an acre 120 peach trees and 40 apple 
trees, and by the time the apples spread so as to need 
the room, the peaches will be out of the way. In 18.58 I 
set an orchard of four hundred trees in this way, and was 
very successful with both peaches and apples. 



FRUIT ON THE FARM. 167 

PLANTtNG, CULTURE AND PRUNING. 

In planting, I dig a hole two spades deep, putting the 
top soil on one side and the subsoil on the other. The 
width must exceed the greatest spread of the roots. 
When read}- to set the tree, cut down the sides of the 
hole so as to fill the bottom with fine and mellow top 
soil until there is enough to make the tree stand at the 
proper depth; then fill in the surface soil, which has been 
laid on one side of the hole for this purpose, carefully 
sifting it among the roots, so as to leave no cavities, and 
treading it down firmlj'. When all the surface soil has 
been put in, top out with the subsoil. 

Cultivation, — For at least three years after planting, 
cultivate your trees as well as you do your corn. Thous- 
ands of young fruit trees are ruined every year for lack 
of cultivation. Do not alloAV your small grain or tall 
corn to grow among them, but plant beans, pnmpkins, 
potatoes, or some small variety of sweet corn. Especially 
avoid small grain, but if you must, plant wheat or oats 
in your young orchard, mulch heavily around the trees 
for at least four feet each way from the tree. 

After the trees are grown, all orchards still need cul- 
tivation to some extent, excepting, perhaps, pears; and 
some of our most successful growers of this fruit think 
it is more likely to blight Avhen the ground is cultivated 
than when kept in grass. 

The apple orchard should be plowed once in every 
three or four years, but never deep enough to break large 
roots. Mulching with old straw or coarse manure may 
take the place of cultivation. 

Quinces and pears I would keep cultivated eveiy year 
as long as they are kept bearing, but cultivation should 
be shallow, and I would not attempt to grow any crop 
among them after the third vear. If three inches of the 



168 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

soil is stirrecl, and no weeds and grass allowed to grow, 
it is all that is necessarj-. 

I think the cultivation can be done best with one 
horse and a single shovel plow first, and then across 
with one horse and a double shovel plow. Use a short 
single-tree and let the chains be wrapped with thick 
woolen rags. If the trees have branched out low, do not 
drive too closely to them; l)ut after you have finished 
pjlowing, take a light mattock and loosen the soil left un- 
plowed next the trees. It will not be difficult if done 
soon after a rain, when the ground is soft. 

Pkuning. — This should be attended to while the trees 
are young. Alwaj-s have a reason for every cut you 
make. Keep in mind that your object is to produce an 
open, symetrical top, Avell balanced and open to sun and 
air, with branches that will not chafe each other. The 
ideal for the underside of a fruit tree is an inverted um- 
brella. 

In the latter part of this book will be found a conve- 
nient table, giving the number of trees or plants in an 
acre. 



CHAPTER XYIII. 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. 

A well managed garden of a quarter of an acre casn be 
made to produce each season what would cost in market 
a hundred dollars— and besides its money value, will be 
a great addition to the farmer's table, relieving it of mo- 
noton}^ and adding to the health of his family. 

In view of these facts, it is strange how man}- farms 
we see on which there is either no garden at all or else 
where the garden is badly located, badly arranged and 
badly cared for; often allowed to grow up to weeds after 
crops have been gathered till it becomes the worst spot 
on the farm on which to grow crops requiring clean 
•culture. 

Every farmer ought to have a garden, and to have one 
there are certain things absolutely necessary; 

The soil must be warm and easily worked. 

It must be rich. 

It must be well drained. 

It must be free from weeds. 

And in addition to these it certainly ought to be con- 
venient to the house. 

If the soil is a heavy claj' it will pa}' to draw sand 
and l)lack loam on to it. If on the other hand 3-ou have 
to deal with a leachy sand the addition of clay will be a 
benefit. 

If starting on a new spot, I would spread on a quarter 
acre ten loads of good manure in the fall and plow under 



170 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

and add half as much more as a top dressing in the 
spring. After this, a light coating of manure should be 
given every 3'ear. 

The garden spot must he well drained. In chapter 
six 3'ou will find described the influence of under- 
draining on land, and for the garden one of the most 
valuable points is that it enables us to work the soil 
earlier. In this, earliness is of paramount importance. 

In addition to thorough underdraining, it is well in 
the fall to plow into beds twelve or sixteen feet wide and 
open the furrows so as to carry off all surface water. By 
attention to these two points 3'ou will have your garden 
ready for planting some weeks earlier in the spring. 
, To keep a garden free from weeds requires vigilance. 
Cultivate thorouglily. iStir the soil as soon after a rain 
as it is in fit condition, and destroy the weeds before 
they get above the surface. j\«re/- allow a weed to go to 
seed, and in a few years the labor of cultivation will be 
reduced one- half 

Protection. — Drainage and fall plowing will assist 
yon in getting the garden planted early, but something 
more is sometimes needed. The north and west winds 
of spring are often cold, and a protection on these two- 
sides is a great advantage. Either a high tight board 
fence, or a thick evergreen hedge will accomplish the 
work , but if you do not care to be at the expense of a 
fence, or wait for a hedge to grow, a very good and cheap 
wind-break can be made with corn stalks. Set a row of 
posts, and three or four feet from the ground nail a 
cheap board on each side directly opposite each other, , 
Then set large strong corn stalks between these boards, 
crowding them tightly between the space. 

ARRANGEMENT AND CULTIVATION. 

To economize space, and permit the use of the horse 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. 171 

or hand plow, plant everything in rows running the full 
length of the garden. If of any vegetable an entire row 
would give you too much, you -can plant one half 
way and finish with something else. 

With a garden laid out in this way, you can with a 
hand plow — of which there are a great variety in use — 
stir the whole quarter acre in an hour, while to hoe it 
would require the greater part of a day. 

For the appearance, and also to enable 3'ou to get as 
close as possible to the rows with the plow, use a garden 
line and make your rows as straight as possible. With 
a narrow shovel on your plow you can mark out your 
rows easily and rapidl}-, and with the line as a guide can 
get them straight. 

Planting Axu Rotation. — The planting season in the 
garden in this latitude begins in February or March 
and ends with early September. There are many plants 
which on a well-drained soil will bear a very low temper- 
ature without injury. I have often planted peas, beets, 
radishes, spinach, onions and lettuce in February, and 
had them do well though March was cold and bluster- 
ing. Occasionally the beets and radishes Avill be killed, 
but I have known them to escape though the ground was 
frozen hard enough to bear up a wagon, and I have never 
known the others injured by cold though the mercury 
has stood at only eight above zero. 

Vegetables ought to follow each other in rapid succes- 
sion, and as soon as one is done with, another should 
take its place. Much of the garden may be made to 
produce more than one crop a season. For example: 
Cucumbers for pickles may follow peas, and turnips be 
sown among the cucumbers. I have grown these crops 
by the acre in this way and realized a full yield from 
each. Melons, either water or musk, may be grown on. 



172 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

the pea ground by leaving spaces for the hills, or start- 
ing them in pots and transplanting when the peas are 
past use. I usually' grow Hubbard squashes on the 
<iSir\y potato patch, and succeed better with them than 
"when planted early. In beginning to dig the potatoes I 
take up hills where I want the squash hills to be and 
plant the squashes, and by the time the squash vines 
get fairly to running, the potatoes can all be dug. 

Winter cabbage can follow the early beans, and late 
"beans occupy the spot where the lettuce and spinach 
stood. On the onion bed 3'ou can grow radishes, and 
turnips can follow the sweet corn. Indeed, by a little 
planning nearly the whole garden spot can be made to 
grow more than one crop a year, and thus not onl}' the 
ground be made to pay liberally, but by the constant 
cultivation secured the growth of weeds will be pre- 
vented. In order to keep the land thus fully occupied, 
and so give the weeds no chance it will be well if you 
have a vacant spot and nothing to plant, to drill it in 
sweet corn or even field corn to cut up and feed to the cows. 

Keep the fruit garden separate from the vegetable 
garden, and in it set out currants, raspberries, rhubarb, 
grapes, etc. These have no place among the vegetables 
and if placed there will very likely be neglected and 
weeds be allowed to grow around them to seed the re- 
mainder of the garden. 

The quarter of an acre of which I have spoken is suf- 
ficient for vegetables only. When possible, it is well to 
drain and fertilize an acre or more and thus have the 
fruit garden and truck patch adjoining the vegetables. 

I would not plant in the fruit garden anything larger 
than a quince bush, and would have the rows of rasp- 
berries, currants, etc., eight feet apart, so as to allow of 
horse cultivation. 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. 173 

With a plat of this size, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, 
melons, cucumbers, squashes, and potatoes in quantity 
can be ffrown. 

■ VARIETIES OF VEGETABLES. 

These vary so much with locality and fancy that it 
would be folly to attempt to lay down any positive rule, 
but I will mention some which I have found superior. 

Peas. — For the earliest plant Tom Thumb, Blue Peter 
and McLean's Little Gem. The last is the best flavored 
but the others earlier and very good if cooked when 
young. They are all dwarfs, needing no supports. At 
the same time plant Champion of England. This is a 
tall variety and of the very best flavor. 

This first planting, if made as soon as the land can be 
worked will, in my latitude, give the first picking from 
the 20th of May to 1st of June according to the season, 
and will furnish a succession for about a month. A sec- 
ond planting early in April, and a third two weeks later 
will keep up an unbroken succession. 

Many persons prefer to bush tall peas. I do not, and 
get fair returns and they are grown in large quantities: 
for market garden in the same way. They fall over 
when two or three feet high, and then turn up and grow 
two or three feet more and bear good crops, I find it 
cheaper to grow two hundred feet of row without bush- 
ing than one hundred with, and get more than a half 
crop.* 

Dwarf varieties of peas may be planted in rows 



*I think difference in climate must be taken into the count 
in this matter. I am quite confident that tall peas in the warm, 
moist climate of Southern Illinois would not produce any crop 
at all if grown as Mr. Brown recommends, but would simply 
mould and rot. Where a man takes a pride in the looks of his 
garden, I think he will bush all p6as that need it, even in cli- 
mates where they could be grown without. R. s. T. 



174 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

eighteen inches apart. The tall peas, if not bushed, may 
be planted in double rows two feet apart, so as to sup- 
port each other. When bushed the rows should l^e four 
feet apart. 

Lettuce. — Plant Curled Silesia for the earliest, and 
some time in April plant Prize Head for summer use. 
This last named is the best I have ever grown. 

Beets. — Early Egyptian for earliest, with Improved 
Blood Turnip for main crop. All beets do best with 
early planting. 

Beans. — Black Wax for snaps, they are hardy, prolific 
tender, of excellent flavor, and perfectl}^ stringless. They 
may be planted last of April or first of Ma}', and every 
two weeks thereafter till the first of August, for a suc- 
cession. The Small Lima — also called Sieva or Butter, 
are full}- equal to the Large Lima in flavor, are easier to 
shell, three weeks earlier and twice as productive. 
Dreer's Improved Lima is large, and the best flavored 
I have ever seen, but I have found it a sh}' bearer and 
quite late. It is worthy a place in the garden notwith- 
standing these faults. 

Tomato. — The finest I have ever grown is the Acme. 
It is perfect in form, of a beautiful glossy red, and ripens 
all over and through at the same time. 

Sweet Corn. — I consider the Early Boynton the best 
extra earl}' variety. It bears very close planting, and 
has two or more ears to the stalk. Stowell Evergreen 
has never been superceded for the main crop. It is 
very productive, of good flavor, and continues in good 
condition for several weeks. 

Onions. — I prefer the Yellow Globe Danvers for the 
family garden. White Portugal is best for pickles. 
Onions can be grown from seed with larger yield and 
finer quality than from sets. By early planting and 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. 175 

thorough cultivation three or four bushels can be grown 
on a square rod. For very early onions, small bulbs 
may be planted in fall or as early in spring as the 
Sfround can be worked.* 



*There is one point in garden management Mr. Brown has 
not mentioned — namely, the importance in planting of press- 
ing the ground tirmly down on the seed. A good roller will do 
this, or when planting small amounts in rows, the row may be 
walked on after covering, putting one foot exactly in front of 
the other. Of course the amount of pressure will vary with 
different soils, but where a garden is well drained, and culti- 
vated and manured as it ought to be, the soil is apt to be very 
loose. I have found that where the soil was firmly pressed 
about the seed, that not only did the seed germinate in half the 
time, but the young plant was stronger and more vigorous. 

B. s. T. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



STOCK ON THE FARM. 

CHOICE OF STOCK. 

In stocking the farm care and judgment must be used, 
as has been indicated, the character of the farm con- 
sidered and stock selected that will be adapted to the 
farm and locality. Whether sheep, or hogs, or cattle 
shall be the principal stock must be determined in this 
manner. In some cases all three may be kept; in more 
instances it will be found profitable to make a specialty 
of some one, though perhaps a few of the others may be 
also kept. 

For broken, hill}' farms there is no stock so profitable 
as the Merino sheep, The}^ can climb over the hillsides 
and gain a living for themselves and owner on laud that 
the plow could not turn, and on which no reaper could 
gather a crop. Where a small number of sheep onl}' are 
kept, and mutton rather than wool is the object, the 
larger breeds will be found more ])rofitable. 

On rich bottom or prairie land where corn can be 
largely grown some of the larger breeds of hogs, such as 
Poland-Chinas, Chester Whites, Jersey Eeds, will give 
the best returns for the feed. On other farms where 
grazing is more followed than corn raising, some of the* 
smaller, finer-boned breeds will do well. 

In determining the breed of cattle, consider the end in 
view. If you desire to make a specialty of " gilt-edged " 
butter, keep Jerseys. If 3^ou desire quantity of milk, 



STOCK ON THE FARM. 177 

the Ayrshires or a milking strain of Short-horns crossed 
on a native will meet your wants. For a " general pur- 
pose" animal, good for both milk and beef, the Holsteins 
are rapidly coming into favor. A cross of Short-hoi'n on 
our native stock, also produces some of our most valua- 
ble "general purpose" stock.* 

Grades or Thoroughbreds. — I would hardly advise 
the young farmer in stocking bis farm to begin with 
thoroughbred stock, unless he intends to go into the 
business of raising and selling thoroughbreds for breed- 
ing purposes; and it is not everyone who can success- 
fully do this. In raising for milk or the butcher, good 
grades are sometimes even more profitable than thor- 
oughbreds. 

But I would impress upon the young farmer the impor- 
tance of using thoroughbred males and continually grad- 
ing up his stock. It is claimed by many experienced 
farmers that the offspring of a thoroughbred Short-horn 
sire on a native cow will bring more money at thrtv; 
years old than a native will at four, and this makes a 
male Short-horn very valuable, as he can put his impress 
on a large amount of stock. 

In grading up, keep in mind your end in view, and 
aim steadily at that in your selection of crosses, whether 
you desire increase in size, perfect form, weight of flesh, 
or milk. Remember that there is a constant danger of 
deterioration, which can only be avoided by care and 

*It should be borne in mind that in the matter of milk there 
is almost as much difference in different families of the same 
breed, as in the different breeds. Some Short-horns are al- 
most worthless as milkers, giving an inconsiderable amount 
and poor in quality; while on the other hand I have drank 
Short-horn milk that I could not tell from Jersey milk, as it 
equalled it both in richness and flavor. As a general rule, 
however, the animal best adapted for milk will be least adapted 
for producing beef, and vice versa. R. s. t. 

12 



178 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

vigilance, and that there is abundant encouragement for 
the careful breeder. 

CARE OF STOCK. 

If asked to give in one sentence full directions for the 
care of stock, I should say: Make them comfortable. 
This covers all. For an animal to be comfortable must 
be well fed, have an abundant supply of pure water, 
must have shade during the heat of summer and protec- 
tion from the storms of winter; when stabled they must 
have good bedding and be kept clean. 

■WATER FOR STOCK. 

A supply of good water is necessary, both for the com- 
fort and health of stock. There are many farms on 
which there are no springs or permanent streams, and 
on which the supply trom wells is either uncertain or 
difficult to raise on account of depth. 

On such farms resort may be had to cisterns and ponds. 
A cistern may be located anywhere that is most conve- 
nient for watering the stock, and filled with surface wa- 
ter or the drainage of the soil. Thc}^ should never be 
dug in a run, or where there is so much fall as to cause 
the soil to wash, as they will then be liable to be filled 
with mud. But in any place where there is sufficient 
fall to enable you to gather into them the water from an 
acre, there will be no trouble in keeping them filled. 

I have two of these cisterns that have furnished me 
an unfailing supply for seven years. The first one I 
filled from the surface and allowed the water to run in 
when very muddy, but found it soon settled and became 
as clear as spring water. 

But I have found it is unnecessary to use surface wa- 
ter. A few rods of ordinary draining tile can be laid, 
crossing the natural flow of the water diagonally, and en- 
tering the cistern at a suflflcient depth to be safe from 



STOCK ON THE FARM. 179 

frost. If the ground is very level, a couple of furrows 
may be turned, starting from the cistern and diverging 
in the form a letter y, to turn the flow of the surface wa- 
ter over the tile. 

By this arrangement any rain which makes the land 
too wet to plow, will 1111 the cistern, and the water being 
clear, it will not deposit mud. From such a cistern the 
water is easily pumped, as the depth is but small. 

Do not dig over ten feet deep, as it is cheq,per to make 
them long and shallow. A cistern ten feet deep and the 
same in diameter will hold about one hundred and fifty 
barrels, and one of mine of this size has but twice been 
dry in seven years, though the horses have been wa- 
tered from it constantly, and in dry seasons several head 
of stock. 

If a cistern of much greater capacity than this is 
needed, it is better to dig it oval, as it is difficult tp turn 
an arch if the width much exceeds ten feet. 

The cost of these cisterns will vary in different locali- 
ties and soils. Mine cost me $30, but were expensive to 
dig, as I had to blast through rock half the depth. This, 
however, saved expense in walling.* 

■ Ponds often are successful on tough clay soils. They 
should be located where there is but little fall, to avoid 
their being filled with wash. They should be dug long 
and narrow — the length being east and west. All the 
work of digging, except shaping the sides and ends, can 
be done with the plow and scraper. 

As soon as the pond is made, a dense row of quick- 
growing trees should be set out on the south and west, 

*There are some tough clay soils in which a cistern can be 
dug, the sides sloping somewhat, and the cement applied di- 
rectly to the clay walls, saving the expense of bricks or stones 
entirely. In other soils the cistern must not only be walled, 
but the walls cemented to make them hold water. k. s. x. 



180 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

SO as to shade it thoroughly, and it should l)e securely 
fenced, the fence crossing the pond a few feet from the 
east end, so as to allow the cattle to drink. This end — 
which ■will need no shade — should he graded to a gentle 
slope and the bank be covered with broken stone or clean 
gravel, this protection extending into the pond as fiir as 
the cattle are allowed to go, that they cannot l)y their 
tramping make it muddy.* 

Such a pond would last a lifetime, and furnish an abun- 
dant supply of good water; but no one of the points 
mentioned can be neglected. A pond exposed to the 
sun, and into whicli the cattle are allowed to wade and 
drop their dung, and hogs to wallow, becomes merely a 
cesspool of impurities, and will not furnish water Jit for 
stock of any kind. 

Bad water for stock causes disease among them, and 
often typhoid fever among those who drink their milk. 

To secure an unfailing supply of good water is often 
an expensive matter, but costs far less than the trouble 
and loss in a single dry season, when the cattle have to 
be driven a mile or more for water, and sometimes suffer 
severely from neglect. 

HOW TO MAKE CHEAP BEEF. 

I have been led to give considerable attention to this 
matter from .the fact that I for some years fed cattle at 
a loss, or very small profit, and have found that this has 
been the experience of many others. I think if a care- 
ful account was kept, a majority of those who attempt 
winter-feeding of cattle lose mone}^ and not one in ten 
really makes a fair profit. There are several reasons for 

*Therp are many soils in which it is not possible to make a 
pond hold water. In any case, where the farmer can ati'ord it, 
a good well, whh an unfailing sujiply, and a wind-pump, by 
which a reservoir can be kept constantly filled, is one of the 
greatest comforts ever placed on u farm. k. s. t. 



STOCK ON TIIK I Aim. 181 

this. For example, beginning to feed at the wrong sea- 
son of the year, feeding too heavily at the start, feeding 
too long, irregular feeding, etc., etc. I am confident 
that I can give advice which if followed will result 
in a good profit in ever}' case, unless accident or dis- 
ease should occasion loss. I have been in correspon 
-dence for some years with a large cattle-feeder of Illi- 
nois, whose experience was the same as mine until he 
-adopted the plan of spring and early summer feeding, 
since which his profits have been uniformly large. 
Spring is the season of growth with animals as well as 
plants. All the conditions are favorable; the weather is 
pleasant, the grass abundant and succulent; there are 
no flies to torment the cattle, and the water is pure and 
abundant. In addition, the long winter on dr}- feed 
has brought the animal into such a hygienic condi- 
tion as to enable it to assimilate a large amount of 
food, and I believe that ordinarily cattle gain more in 
Ma}' and June than they do in all the rest of the slim- 
mer, and this often means the year, for the majority of 
-cattle go on to pasture in the spring lighter than the}' 
-canie off" of it the preceding autumn. M}' Illinois friend 
■claims — and my own experience confirms it — that cattle 
•can be bought the first of March and marketed in June 
so as to get as great a gain and advantage in June as if 
the}' were fed from the time grass failed the previous 
fall. To get this great gain the cattle must be fed long 
enough before turning on pasture to begin to gain rap- 
Idly, and I recommend that light grain feeding 1)8 given 
tihrough March and stronger feed in April. If you are 
feeding large cattle — such as will sell as shippers, and 
these will give the greatest profit — I would keep up the 
grain feed on pasture till they are sold; but if your cat- 
tle are two-year old steers, or heifers, or drv Cf)ws, in- 



182 SUCCESS IN FAKMIXG. 

tended for a home market, the grain ma^^ be discontin- 
ued as soon as the pastures are good. There are several 
advantages in feeding cattle at this season of the year: 
First, if you buy the cattle they will ordinaril}^ cost less 
the first of March than in the fall, for by this time they 
will weigh less, having got what the butchers call the 
"gross" out of them, and they will be in a better condi- 
tion to begin to gain at once. I think cattle can usually 
be bought as low the first of March as in the autumn,, 
for there are always farmers who tr}'^ to winter more 
stock than the}^ have feed for, and so must put them on 
the market; but eA^en if a little more be paid it is really 
cheaper. Second, by beginning to feed at this season 
and having 3'our cattle well started when turned on grass, 
they will be ready for market before grass- fed cattle, and 
when the demand is greatest of the entire year, and 
prices usually the highest. A few weeks at this season 
will often make a dollar a hundred difference in the 
price. Third, the pastures can be stocked fully twice 
as heavily if the cattle are to be sold in June as they 
could if they are to be kept on them all summer, for this 
is a season of the greatest growth for grass, and by this 
plan enough profit can be made from the pastures so that 
you can aftbrd to let them rest tl>e balance of the season, 
which will insure a growth sufficient to protect the roots 
and give you earlier pasture the next year. To show 
what has been done by this management, my Illinois- 
friend reports that fifty fine steers fed from February 
17tli to June 22d, made an average gain of four hundred 
and nineteen pounds each one spring; and a net profit^ 
after deducting what the corn was worth, of over $17 a 
head on sixty-four head another spring. I have fed only 
on a small scale, but have never failed to realize a hand- 
some profit on cattle managed in this way. 



HOGS ON THE FARM, 183 

HORSES AND MULES. 

One question of considerable importance in making a 
start on the farm is, shall you use mules or horses for 
farm work? Twelve years' experience in their use leads 
me to heai'tily recommend mules for several reasons : 
First, they are much hardier than horses, especially en- 
during heat better; they are less liable to lameness or 
disease, and recover much quicker when anything is 
wrong with them. Second, as a rule, they are better 
pullers than horses and not so likely to be spoiled by a 
poor driver. Third, they are much easier kept and quite 
a saving can be made here, as they require but little 
grain when not at work. Fourth, the}^ are mucli longer 
lived and will do several years more labor than horses, 

I think it will pay the larmier well to raise his own 
mules and horses, for he can do it cheaper than he can 
buy really good stock, and a poor horse is dear at any 
price. There are many mules and colts raised every 
season from unsound mares, and although they may 
have a fair appearance when j'oung, they break down 
soon under hard work. The farmer who keeps strong, 
healthy mares and selects good sires, can be sure of rais- 
ins: sound and valuable horses. 



HOGS ON THE FARM. 

My experience with hogs dates back some forty years, 
at which time hog cholera was unknown, and the loco- 
motive powers of the brute were sufficient to carry him 
to a distant market. In 1847 I gained my first expe- 
. rience as a drover, helping drive three hundred and 
fifty hogs from Union county, Indiana, to Cincinnati, a 
distance of over fifty miles. We made the trip in a little 



184- SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

over fiA'C days, and but one hog gave out on the way. 
In December of the same year my father drove from Mad- 
ison county, Indiana, to the same market, a distance 
of over one hundred miles. The hogs at that day were 
raised and wintered in the woods, and largely fattened 
by •' hoggin' oft' the corn," as it was called, by which was 
meant turning them into the field and allowing them to 
help themselves. There was scarcely any effort made at 
that time to improve tlie breed of hogs, and it was hardly 
desirable to do so, for the chief qualifications w'anted 
were hardiness and power to transport his carcass to 
market, and these they possessed. It would have been 
next to an impossibility to have improved the breed: 
first, for want of transi)ortation, there being no way to 
ship improved stock without great trouble and expense; 
and second, l)ecause the woods were full of boars, many 
of them "elm peelers" sevei'al years old, who would jump 
over, root under, or liorc through an}^ fence ever invented. 
At the time I speak of summer packing was unknown, 
and nearly all the business of the country was done on 
credit, and as there was very little market for grain, and 
then only when it was wagoned over bad roads to a dis- 
tant city. The hog was the product of the farm that 
brought the only large amount of cash the farmer ever 
handled, and so the packing season ushered in an era of 
universal prosperity, for the farmer paid his bills, and 
the blacksmith and shoemaker were then able to pay 
theirs, the country- merchant paid for his goods in Cin- 
cinnati, enabling the wholesale merchant to pay his 
New York bills; and so the dying scpieal of the porkei 
verified the words of the poet : 

" From lowly Avoe springs lordly joy, 
l^rom lnuiil)l(n' good diviner ; 
The greater life must aye destroy 
And drink the minor." 



HOGS ON THE FAKM. 185 

I oouUi tell stories of hooj-drivino- that would read like a 
romance; but as this book deals Avith practical ques- 
tions of to-day, I pass on to the question of 

SUCCESSFUL nOG-KAISING. 

First, the farm on which hogs are to be made the lead- 
ing product, must be one well adapted to corn, and this 
-crop will not thrive on cold, wet land, and the growing 
■of it will ruin a rolling, washy soil. Our best corn lands 
iire, almost without exception, good for wheat, and I 
would recommend a four-years rotation on a hog farm — 
two years corn, one year wheat, and one 3 ear clover. 
This would give a clover field on which to pasture hogs 
in summer and to feed them in the fall, and this man- 
agement would keep iip the fertility of the'soil. It is 
not my purpose to recommend any one breed of hogs 
iibove all others, neither to enumerate the multiplied 
breeds now to be found in this country-. Probably nine- 
tenths of our Western fai-mers will breed Poland-China, 
Berkshire, or some of their crosses; and either of these 
breeds is good, and many practical farmers of large ex- 
perience consider a cross of the two — using a Berkshire 
male — as the best and most profitable butcher liog in 
existence. I have tried both breeds pure, and their 
crosses for several years, and if I were on a corn farm 
iind making hogs my leading interest, I should alwaj's 
use Poland-China sows for breeders, but should, when 
pork was what I wanted, cross with the Berkshire, but 
would breed my best sows to a Poland-China boar, to 
raise brood sows. My reasons for this are that the Berk- 
shire hog is more active, less likely to break down in 
transportation to market, and certainly not inferior in 
constitution to the Poland-China. The cross which I 
recommend gives good size, hardiness, early maturity, 
and, indeed, about all the desirable qualities of both. 



186 srccKss ix farming. 

breeds. I Vivo in the connty where the Poland-China 
hog originated, and an average of more than one thous- 
and pigs of this breed are shipped for breeding purposes 
from ray station every .year, so I have been familinr Math 
the breed from its origin. Some years ago I examined 
the Assessor's returns in every county in Ohio, with a 
view of ascertaining if the hogs in Butler and Warreu 
counties — where nearly all are either pure or high grade 
Poland-Chinas — were valued higher per head than in. 
other parts of the S.tate. I found that in but one county 
of the State w^as the valuation as high, and that was 
Lake county, where very few hogs were kept, and fed- 
largely I presume on milk and small jwtatoes, as dairy- 
ing and potato-growing are the leading interests of that 
county. The value per head in the two counties named 
was more than three times as great as in some counties 
w here no attempts had been made to improve the hogs. 
The same year I found that the hogs packed in Cincin- 
nati — which were largely Poland-China — averaged sixty 
pounds per head above those packed at Chicago. Look- 
ing upon the hog as a machine for manufacturing a less- 
bulk}' and more valuable article out of corn, thus saving 
expenses of transportation, I should name the following 
points as desirable: Fiivst, constitution; second, power 
to assimilate food; third, early maturity. Keeping in 
mind these points, and taking it for granted that the 
farmer has good stock, I will begin with 

THE sow AND HER PIGS. 

And first, I would recommend mature mothers. I have 
little doubt that one of the causes of disease so prevalent 
among swine is, that the constitution was impaired by 
the almost universal custom which prevailed for many 
years, of breeding sows at eight months old. There are 
many points in favor of mature mothers: Thc}'^ are bet- 



HOGS ON THE FARM. 187 

ter milkers, and consequently give the pigs a better and 
quicker start. They bring forth stronger pigs, and are- 
able to suckle larger litters than young sows. They are 
much more certain to save their pigs, especially when 
bred for early spring farrowing In my own experience 
for twenty-five j-ears past, during which time I have bred 
hundreds of sows, I estimate the loss of pigs at farrow- 
ing time from 3'oung sows, at three to one when I have 
bred from mature sows. 

There is another point in favor of allowing the sow to 
mature before subjecting her to the tax of maternity, 
Avhich is that she will develop much better. I have taken, 
two sows from the same litter that I could detect no dif- 
ference in, and bred one to come in at a year old, and 
kept the other over till the next season without breeding,, 
and found the latter one hundred and fift}^ pounds the 
heaviest, and of much the finest form. • 

When 3'oung sows are to be bred I would not couple 
before January, so that settled, w^arm weather might be 
expected before the pigs come, and the sows could get 
some green food. In fact, if the pigs are to be wintered 
and not fattened until eighteen or twenty months old, I 
think it best to breed all sows at this date, as the risk 
of loss is much less than with March pigs. If the 
farmer is raising pigs to sell for breeders, or intends ta 
fatten at from, eight to ten months old, it will pay to 
take the risk of having them come in March. Whea 
bred always make a record of it, and it is well to enter 
at the same time the date at which the litter is expected. 
The period of gestation in swine is one hundred and 
twelve days, and I have never known them to exceed 
this more than three or four days, and rarely to fall 
much below it; but as there are cases on record where 
young sows have farrowed in from one hundred to one 



188 



SUCCESS IX FARMING. 



hundred and six days, I would advise that the sows be 
separated and put Avhere you want them to farrow two 
weeks ahead of date. I would make the entr}' in this 
vrny: "Spotted sow, Bess, bred Jan. 9th; look for pigs 
May 1st." 

I think the practice of allowino- the boar to run with 
the herd an abominable one, as ho will fret and worry, 
and is likely to become unmanageable. Keep him in a 
strong, close pen, and turn the sow to him, and as soon 
as served remove her. 




PORTABLE HOG-PEN. 

This portable pen, if for large soavs, should be made 
six by seven feet. The short slope of roof in front is in- 
tended for glass when it is used for early pigs. The pen 
is the invention of Mr. L. N. Bonham, of -Oxford, Ohio, 
who kindly loaned us the cut. We have used these pens 
on our own farm, and are much pleased with them. By. 
nailing a board across at each end, allowing it to project 
far enough for a handle — which should be rounded off 
like the boards of a gravel-bed — four men can easily 
cany one of these pens, or it may be loaded on a low 
sled when ^-ou wish to move it far. 

On farms where hogs are the leading product and 



HOGS ON THE FARM. 



189 



March pigs are desired, I believe it to be practica- 
ble to arrange a breeding house with a stove, and 
that in the long run it would pay. I saw some 
years since, on the farm of Mr. Wm. Greer, an old 
tenant house divided up into pens to accommodate a 
number of sows, and was assured by him that the plan 
worked satisfactorily. A house sixteen by twenty feet 
could be arranged thus: Make four pens five by six 



• 






: s. : 









feet in size, on each side of a hall four feet wide. The 
stove should stand in the center, and there would be 
room for a swill barrel and a few barrels or sacks of meal. 
I would make the ceiling low, so as to economize heat? 
and the loft could be used for corn. I would arrange in 
each of these compartments a guard — such as is de- 
scribed in the chapter on Buildings — to prevent the sow 
from overlaying the pigs. Make the floor of the build- 
ing rather low, and have a door large enough for the sow 
to enter, open from the outside to each separate pen. 
When the sows are to farrow later, or when these have 
been tui-ned out on pasture after the pigs are large 
enough to follow the sow, I prefer the portable pen. I 



190 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

do not believe in hot-house treatment of pigs, and it is 
not probable that any litter of March pigs would need 
fire for more than three or four days, often less; but 
young pigs are verj' delicate at first and easily chilled, 
and where valuable sows are kept this arrangement 
jnight be profitable, especially as the partitions could all 
be made movable, and the building used for other pur- 
poses eleven months of the year. 

As few farmers will find it profitable to use fire, the 
next best thing is to make the pen as warm as possible 
without it, and for this purpose corn fodder is excellent- 
A single crack, half an inch wide, on the windward side 
of a hog-house in a blasting March da}', may admit 
enough cold to chill to death a pig just born, but by set- 
ting a few bundles of corn fodder against the outside, 
and securing them in place b}^ putting some rails against 
them, every breath of wind can be kept out. 

Next to neglect in providing a suitable place for the 
sow to bring forth her 3^oung, injudicious feeding is the 
greatest cause of loss. The sow will be shut up where 
she cannot exercise, perhaps two or three weeks before 
farrowing, and fed on dry corn, and when she brings 
forth, the same heavy feed is continued. The result 
often is that fever ensues, the sow loses her appetite, her 
milk dries up and the pigs starve to death. Again, the 
want of exercise and the dr^- , rich food causes constipa- 
tion, and the sow becomes ravenous and eats up her 
litter. From the da}^ the sow is shut up give a varied 
diet : wheat bran, potatoes or some other roots, charcoal, 
i'otten wood, and grass if possible, or bright clover hay, 
or corn fodder, and for some days after farrowing, feed 
lightly and very little corn. I wish to emphasize this 
last sentence. 

Young pigs need exercise, and thousands die every 



HOGS ON THE FARM. 191 

year before the}^ are a month old from being kept in 
close pens. They get too fat and begin to wheeze or 
cough, and take the thumps and die. The sow should, 
if possible, be turned out in a pasture lot and the pigs 
allowed to follow her by the time they are two weeks 
old. The secret of a profitable hog is to keep it thrifty 
find growing from the start, and as soon as you notice 
the pigs begin to eat corn, provide a pen which the 
mother cannot enter, and feed soaked corn and slop to 
them, taking pains to feed only what they will eat clean. 
If you wish to breed the sows for a second litter, you 
will be able to wean the pigs much 3'ounger for thus 
teaching them to eat early. It is quite an expense to 
keep a large sow a year, and we have found it profitable 
to breed twice a year. With proper care, there is no 
trouble in keeping fall pigs thrifty and growing all win- 
ter, and they may be marketed in spring for pig pork, or 
pastured and fattened in the fall. September pigs well 
cared for will give as much profit as spring pigs, and 
can be in good condition for market and should weigh 
two hundred pounds by the May following. 

One great cause of unthrifty hogs, and a potent cause 
of the diseases which have caused such losses to hos:- 
breeders, is the continual feeding of a concentrated, 
heating, fat-producing diet ; and to keep a hog in health 
he requires some bulky food. This fact is what makes 
clover so valuable to the pork-producer, for clover is worth 
much more than the weight of pork it will produce, for 
a hog that has pastured on it through the summer has 
built up bone and muscle and had his stomach distend- 
ed, and the system thoroughly prepared for assimilating 
food, and a very rapid gain when corn-feeding begins. 
Pasture and green food are of such importance that we 
would recommend a rye field for early pasturing, unless 



192 SUCCESS IX FARMING. 

you have early blue grass, and an abundant supply of 
pumpkins for fall feeding, and have no doubt that the 
risk of loss by disease would be lessened and the cost of 
pork reduced a cent or more a pound by this manage- 
ment. Experiments in the use of clover were made by the 
editor of the Live Stock Joiirnol with the following re- 
sult: A litter of six pigs were taken at weaning time and 
divided into two lots. One was fed on corn-meal and 
water alone, all they would eat; the other lot on the 
same mixed with clover cut fine. The lot whose feed 
was mixed with clover kept a good appetite all the 
time, while the other lot were frequentlj'^ "oft' their feed.'* 
At the end of five months those fed on meal alone 
weighed one hundred and fifty pounds each, and those 
fed on meal and clover two hundred and ten pounds 
each. To further test the matter, the same gentleman 
put up in winter two lots of hogs averaging one hundred 
and fifty pounds each, and fed corn-meal slop to one lot^ 
and the same mixed with cut clover hay to the other. 
The experiment continued one hundred and twenty 
days, when the lot fed on meal were found to have gained 
one hundred and ten pounds each, and the other lot one 
hundred and forty-three pounds each. 

In pasturing clover, it is best not to turn on it until 
it begins to blossom, for we want a full development of 
the plant, both for the benefit of the stock and the land. 
The roots of the clover can never reach down into the 
subsoil if the top is not allowed to develop. We advise 
that fattening begin early. Numberless experiments 
have settled the question that a given amount of food 
will make double the amount of gain in the mild, pleas- 
ant weather of autumn than it Avill amid the cold and 
snow of December. If, as we recommend, you feed on a 
clover sod, the cattle must be kept out, particularly if 



HOGS ON THE FARM. 103 

you feed cut up corn at first. We have known ca.tle 
killed b}'' eating the cuds of husk which the hogs drop 
after chewing. We would, during the first few weeks of 
feeding, try to get the hogs to eat all the bulky food 
possible, and this will be easy if you do not give too 
much corn. Keep a suppl}' of salt, and ashes, or char- 
coal where they can have access to it at all times. Feed 
on a new spot every day, so as to enrich as much of the 
field as possible. The best crib to feed from is an old 
wagon, and one which will last for years can often be 
bought at a sale for a few dollars. 

Mau}'^ experiments have been made to ascertain how 
much pork can be made from a bushel of corn. We 
have before us the results of several of these experiments, 
showing from nine and three-fourths to twelve pounds. 
One large lot, fed for fort\--three days, made an average 
of ten pounds for each bushel of corn, and we are in- 
clined to believe that it will require good hogs and good 
weather and the best of care to give this result. With- 
out all these points the average will be much less. 

An important question is whether to fatten at nine or 
ten months old. The farmer must determine for him- 
self which plan to adopt. We believe tluit cheaper 
pork can be made from the young hog. The risk of dis- 
ease is of course much reduced, and there is a quicker 
return for the capital invested. It is easy, with good 
stock, to make an average weight of two hundred and fifty 
pounds at nine months, and the same hogs, if kept ten 
or twelve months longer, would probably not weigh over 
four hundred pounds. Where pigs are to be fattened at 
this age, we would recommend that they be allowed to 
run on grass and fed enough to keep them gaining rap- 
idly till seven months old, and then shut up and fed all 
they will eat till ready for market. 

13 



194 SUCCESS IN FARMIXG. 

WINTERING HOGS. 

There are a few simple rules in wintering hogs, the 
observance or neglect of which will make all the difference 
between a thrifty hog that will gain regularly all winter, 
and a stunted, enfeebled one that will fall an easy prey to 
disease. These rules are: First, not too many hogs to- 
gether. Second, each lot to be composed of hogs as 
nearly the same size as possible. Third, a dry, Avarm, 
clean bed. Fourth, some variety in diet, and for fall 
pigs warm drink. We have often seen on a farm forty 
or fifty hogs of all sizes, including half dozen sows two 
or three years old, twenty or thirty spring pigs, and a 
dozen or more fall pigs. On a sharp, frosty morning, 
when called up to be fed, these small pigs will come out 
steaming as though just out of a warm bath, and are 
almost sure to take cold; besides, they are fought and 
driven off so that they cannot get half their share of 
food, and if they live through the winter at all — which is 
doubtful — they will gain little if any in weight. We 
like corn fodder for a bed for hogs much better than 
straw, and find that the}' cat all the blades, thus supply- 
ing themselves with the bulky food needed. 

When cattle are fed for beef during the winter, and 
there are stock hogs to follow them, we would advise 
heavy feeding of the cattle with whole corn, as the hogs 
will eat all that passes the cattle undigested, and thrive 
well on it. 

/ COOKING FOOD FOR HOGS. 

Will it pay to cook feed for hogs? is a question often 
asked, and often answered in the negative at a heavy ex- 
pense for apparatus bought. I advocated it ardently 
when a much younger man than I am now, and can show 
stowed away as useless lumber, several double, back-ac- 
tion patent steamers and cookers. I can say emphati- 



HOGS ON THK FARM. 195 

<;ally that 7 never could make it pa}-. Besides, I know 
of scores of farmers wlio began cooking feed for their 
hogs with great enthusiasm, and 3'et I do not know 
of one of them who has kept it up more than a year or 
two at the farthest. I do not deny that cooked food is 
l)etter than raw, but I am sure that it is not enough bet- 
ter to pay for the trouble and expense with the amount 
of hogs kept on the ordinarj^ farm. Further, we sa}^ that 
ground food is worth just as much soured as cooked, and 
there is very little trouble or expense to do this at any sea- 
son of the year. In the summer you must guard against 
excessive acidty, and in the winter against freezing; and 
for either you will need two barrels. A swill barrel in 
summer that stands for days without empt3'ing, often be- 
comes as sour as vinegar, but b}' having two barrels, and 
emptying one every other day, the excess of acidity can 
be avoided. In the winter, fermentation is slower, and 
two barrels are needed, so as to give more time. For 
winter, the barrels must be packed in dry sawdust to 
prevent freezing, and if not under a roof, there should be 
a sloping lid, hung with a hinge, to close so as to keep 
the sawdust dry. Have the box eight inches wider ev- 
ery way than the barrel. If forty-gallon barrels are used, 
the box will need to be about five and a half by three 
and a half feet, and will take, without a lid, about fifty 
feet of lumber. Set the barrels in the box quite close 
to each other, and fill around them with dry sawdust, 
cover the top with two thicknesses of old carpet, and 
pour into each a tea-kettleful of boiling water each 
day, and the winter must be severe if any ice forms. 
Let one barrel sour while you are using from the other, 
and you need never be wanting warm slop, equal in 
every respect to that which is cooked. 

There is an opinion prevalent that corn and hog pro- 



196 SUCCESS IX FARMING. 

duction is exhaustive to the soil. If the rotation ani 
plan of feeding recommended in this chapter is followed^ 
it certainly is not. The hog is also a valuable manure- 
maker if rightly managed. A half score of active young 
hogs in such a hog-house as is illustrated in the chapter 
on farm buildings, if furnished in the outside floored 
pen with all the straw they will work up, will half pay 
for their feed in manure; and Avhcn there is an old 
straw stack or a few tons of corn butts to be worked 
over into manure, a hog will more than pay for his food, 

DISEASICS OF IIOGS. 

I wish I could offer an infallible preventive, or a spe- 
cific remedy for the epidemic diseases which have occa- 
sioned such loss to the farmers of the West. Expe- 
rience proves, however, that with the best of care and 
under the most careful sanitary regulations, it will oc- 
casionally break out in so malignant a form as to almost 
annihilate the hogs of a farm or neighborhood. I have 
never lost a hog from epidemic disease, and a few years 
ago prided myself that my own good management was 
the cause of my exemption. I have seen, however, on 
the farms of neighbors, where fine breeding stock was 
kept, and far better sanitary precautions enforced than 
on my own, entire herds carried off in a few days. In 
one case this could be traced to the infection being 
brought b}' hogs from a neighlioring farm that were run- 
ning at large, contrary to law. The law against stock 
running at large ought to be rigidly enforced against 
hogs, and if this is done, one source of danger will be 
avoided. One cannot too carefully attend to all the 
points which will help keep his hogs healthy, and if this 
is done the risk of loss will be greatly reduced. 



DAIRYING. 1^ 

DAIRYING. 

In many localities, and especially where a large pro- 
portion of the land is unsuited to grain, dairying is am 
important interest. It has also this advantage; that it 
does not, like grain croping, exhaust the soil, and it 
gives a regular cash income. It comes in well in a sys- 
tem of mixed farming, as the cows will consume the 
<'orn fodder, hay and straw, and furnish manure to ap- 
ply to tlie wheat fields. Doubtless the most profitable 
disposition of dairy products is to sell the milk to con- 
sumers by the quart, l)ut as few farmers can own a milk 
route I shall not speak of this further. The least 
troublesome way is to sell to tlie factories, but there are 
large sections where there are no factories. What I 
shall say in this chapter, therefore, will apply more di- 
rectly to the farm dairy where the profits are to come 
from butter, and my own ex[)erience has been with a 
■dairy of this kind. I wish to s-ay in the beginning that 
there can be nothing made from a butter dairy if a 
•common article is made and sold at the usual market 
l^rice; and unless sure you can make an extra good 
article, and you can get a j'carly contract for it at a 
remunerative price, j-ou would better let the calves run 
with your cows and save expense and labor. 

SELECTIOX OF DAIRY STOCK. 

From my own experience in buying cows I would ad- 
Tise that you bu}'- thrifty 3'oung cows that can be had at 
a moderate price, rather than to attempt to buy cows 
that are highly recommended and for which fancy prices 
are asked. Buy your cows largely with reference to get- 
ting your money back in beef, if they prove poor milkers 
or unprofitable for butter; and then if they do not suit 
yov, keep them but a single season. I know this 1,-5 



198 SUCCESS IX FARMING. 

contrary to the advice usuall}'^ given* l)ut as I look back 
over my own experience, I have rarely bought a cow at a 
high price that has given satisfaction. If up to the 
standard for milk or butter, she often had some little ac- 
complishment which her owner forgot to mention, such 
as an ugly temper, a supreme indillerence to fences, or a 
too free ^ise of her horns; and often she failed in the 
first named qualities. During the time I ran. a butter 
dairy, out of some forty cows that I bought, the best 
two and the onl}' ones I kept when I quit making butter 
for sale, cost me $30.00 each. I bought among thia 
number several cows, the owners of which gave them a 
great reputation, paying fifty dollars and ui)ward for 
them; but I failed to make the transaction profitable in 
any instance. I see by looking at my account book^ 
that in the summer of 1877 1 sold for $156.00 four cows, 
which I had milked all summer, and for .$122.00 replaced 
them with as many that were fresh. I do not wish to 
be understood as recommending the keeping of poor or 
ordinary cows, for the difierence in the cost of keeping a 
cow that will make seven pounds of butter a week for 
the best six months of the year, and one that will make 
but four, is small; but at thirty cents a pound there 
would be over twenty-three dollars in favor of the 
best cow. I do believe, however, that it will be cheaper 
and more satisfactory to buy good average cows at 
moderate prices, hold on to the extra good ones and dis- 
pose of the others and try again, than to pay extrava- 
gant prices, and then often be disappointed, I should 
advise that you breed to a male of a good milking family 
and raise the heifer calves, and your efforts should be 
continually to grade up and improve your stock. 

HOW TO MAKE GOOD BUTTER. 

I have said there is no profit in a common or poor arti- 



DAIRYING. 199 

cle of butter. Three things are necessary to make a 
first class article. Good food, cleanliness, and a suita- 
ble and uniform temperature for the milk. Taking 
these up in the order named, I recommend mixed 
grasses for pasture, and the more varieties the better. 
If you can have blue grass, orchard grass, timothy, red 
top, and red and white clover in the pasture, it will be 
better than any one or two of them. As we are subject 
to drought and consequent short pastures, the dair}^- 
man should alwa^'s grow some soiling crops to use when 
needed, and Stowell or mammoth sweet corn is perhaps 
the best, although Blount's prolific will yield more feed 
to the acre, and common field corn will answer for 
winter. I have found nothing to equal bran and corn 
meal mixed, weight for weight, which will give about 
two bulks of bran to one of corn meal. 

I like in connection with this to feed a little whole 
corn, as the cows are exceedingly fond of it and it gives 
variety. For rough feed I find bright corn-fodder excel- 
lent, and cheaper than auA' other; and I always feed it 
as long as it lasts, which, with me, is usually all winter. 
Clover haj', if bright and sweet, is perhaps better, but 
not so cheap. I see by reference to my account book, 
that when I was milking eight cows in winter, I fed per 
week, three hundred and fifty pounds of the bran and 
meal mixed, three bushels of small corn, and a half ton 
of fodder, which was from corn cut up at the ground," 
and was one third waste. This made, calling the corn 
fifty-six pounds to the bushel, a daily ration of twent}'- 
one pounds for each cow; and as corn at that time was 
25 cents a bushel, and bran $9 a ton, and the fodder did 
not cost more than $3 a ton ; so the gross cost of keep- 
ing my cows was small. The corn and bran averaged 
just nine pounds to a cow, per da}-, costing, allowing a 



200 SUCCESS IX FAKMINO. 

little for draA-ing the corn to aud from the mill, 5 cents 
a day for eacli cow, while the cost of fodder was a little 
less than 3 cents a day per head. I have found by re- 
peated experiments that this ration, nine pounds of meal 
and grain, and tweh'c net of corn fodder or good clover 
hay, is a full ration for an averaged sized cow, and will 
keep up a full flow of milk or fatten her if dry. Every 
dairy-man should lay in his stock of bran in the sum- 
mer. I have never failed to buy at the lowest figures in 
July or August. The demand is less then and the 
Millers want to clean their bins so as to be ready for the 
new crop of wheat, and there can bo enough saved in 
buying then to justity borrowing money at a high per 
cent., if necessary. 

The second point in making good butter, " cleanli- 
ness," needs no argument. It must begin in the stable 
aud include the milker and all the vessels used about 
the milk, and its surroundings. 

The third point, "temperature," is as important as 
any, for good butter cannot be made in hot weather 
without this can be controlled. There are two ways; one 
Ity an unlimited supply of cold spring or well water, 
and the other l)v ice. I should always prefer the former 
if it could be had. Whichever way the milk is to be 
cooled, I advise deep setting. I have practised it for 
six years, aud could not ])e induced to go back to the 
old plan of shallow jars. T use cans eight inches in 
diameter aud twenty inches deep. If we cool with water 
we sink to the top in a box through which water from a 
spring flows, or if it must be pumped, we arrange it so 
as to draw off the water when the milk is partially cool- 
ed, and then pump a fresh supi)!v. For ice, use a large 
chest with side doors to slide in the cans, and a slatted 
floor above on which to lay the ice, through a door in 



DAIRYING. 201 

the top. This upper space shoukl be over a foot deep, 
so that there will be room to set meat, butter, etc. on the 
cakes of ice. In the liottest weather you will need to 
set a cake of ice on edge between the cans below as well 
SLS to have it melting and dripping over the cans from 
above. Managed in this way I have marketed as solid, 
fragrant butter in dog-days as in May or October. My 
first knowledge of the plan of deep setting of milk was 
gained from a dairy-man at Elgin, Illinois, who kept 
sixty cows, and sold the milk to a factoiy which did not 
take the Sunday milking. By putting this milk in deep 
cans and sinking it in a spring, he kept it sweet all the 
week, and raided his calves on it. Two articles not 
usually found in the dairy I would recommend; a test 
glass and milking tubes. The first is a glass arranged 
"with a graduated scale, so that by filling it to the top 
:and setting it away for the cream to raise, you can tell 
■exactly the per cent, of cream. The milking tubes I 
would not use except in case of sore teats or an accident 
of some kind. A cow will sometimes get a teat cut or 
badly scratched with briars, so that every time you milk 
the sore will be opened, and it is almost impossible to 
heal it. By the use of the tubes you can draw off the 
milk and the teat soon gets well. I always keep in mj^ 
stable something to use on the teats at the first sign of 
cracking. Glycerine is good, and I have recommended 
It for many years; but I have recentlj' used vaseline 
:and find it much. better. I believe that if a little of this 
is applied at the first appearance of roughness, that it 
will be found a certain preventative, and as there are 
anany cows that suffer both spring and fall, for weeks, 
■with cracked teats so that it is almost impossible to 
milk them, this remedy should be generally knovvn. 
Although not connected v/ith dairying, I will say Iiere 



202 SUCCESS IX FARMING. 

that I have fonml Neatsfoot oil as useful in the hors& 
stable as vaseline for cows. If the collars are kept cleau 
and a little of this oil rubbed on them ever}' day, and 
at the first appearance of galling it is applied to the 
shoulders or sides of the horses, I think that they 
will never be disabled from this cause. 

The arrangement of the cow stable is of great im- 
portance to the dairy-man. First of all it should be so- 
arranged that you can keep the cows clean, and I have 
never seen this done except where there was a manure 
ditch. The floor on which the cows stand should be not 
more than five and a half feet long; considerably less if 
the cows are confined in stanchions. The manure ditch 
should be eight inches deep and not more than thirty 
inches wide, for you want it so that you can easily step 
across it. You can keep the cows as clean, easily, b}'' 
having the floor on which they stand raised eight or ten 
inches, but the manure will be scattered and the urine 
flow back, so tiiat you. arc almost certain to soil your 
boots if managed in this way; but Avith the manure 
ditch you always know where to step, and Avill rarely 
carry the odor of the stable away with you. 

This manure ditch should be made water tight, ami 
I would advise that the sides be made of two inch oak 
plank not less than a foot wide; fill the bottom with 
tough clay, pounded in, or if you cannot get clay suit- 
able, use coarse gravel and then a coat of cement; but 
on top of the clay or cement la}' a floor of good inch 
boards. 

I have never found any bedding that suited me as 
well as sawdust; it keeps the cows clean and takes \\\> 
the liquid better than any other material. I do not 
make stalls in the cow stable but allow each cow four 
feet of space, which I find ample, and make a short par- 



DAIRYING. 203 

tition to keep them from tiying to get eacn others feed. 
Two feet is as far back as it need extend, and then it is 
not in the way in milking. I have tried several kinds 
of ties, and prefer the ring and snap to all others. By 
this I mean that we tie a strong piece of rope around 
each cows horns, with a ring on the rope, and leave it 
there permanentl}'. We then have a short roi)e, not 
over two feet, tied securely in front, with a strong snap 
on it. The manger is wide enough so that we walk 
through it in front of the cows in tying or untying 
them, and it is the work of a moment to fasten or loosen 
a long row of cattle. If I was keeping a large dairy I 
would arrange the stable so that I could drive through 
with a wagon to remove the manure, having the manure 
ditches far enough apart to let the wagon between them; 
but where a few cows are kept it can be wheeled out. 

An important factor in the profits of the butter dairy 
is the skim-milk, and how to make the most from it. 
If the farmer is raising thoroughbred pigs to sell for 
breeders, I think he will find it more profitable to feed it 
to them, as no other food gives so good a start or makes 
such showy pigs; but by judicious management as good 
calves can be raised on skim-milk as by letting them 
suck the cow. To do this it will be necessary to add to 
the milk enough oil meal or flaxseed to make up the loss 
of the cream. Caution should be exercised in changing 
from new to skim-milk, for the calf should always be fed 
on new milk for a few dajs, or until you can see it begin 
to grow. Begin by adding to the milk a tablespoonful 
of the seed, steeped in hot water, or double the amount 
of the meal, and increase gradually. At five weeks old 
begin to feed the calf shelled corn, and as soon as it will 
eat a half pint at a feed you can decrease the flaxseed or 
meal. If j-ou feed regularly you can make the calf fit 



204 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

for veal in this way and grow a healthy, well developed 
animal. 

I have often found it more profitable to milk a cow for 
two, and sometimes even three j'ears, without breeding. 
There are many cows that will, if well fed and kept from 
breeding, give a profitable flow of milk for a long time, 
and the milk will be richer the second year after calving 
than it was the first. This is an important fact to the 
man who keeps but one cow, as if bred ever}' year she 
must go dr}' several Aveeks. 

As the proof of the value of a good cow I will close 
this chapter with a statement of an account which a 
friend of mine kept with his coVvs for nine years.. But 
one cow was kept at a time but ho bought and sold so 
that several ditforent cows are included in the account. 
The cow M'as charged $2.50 per month for pasture, and 
market price for ha}', bran and meal consumed. She 
was credited with milk and butter sold and the market 
price for milk and butter consumed in the family, the 
same as if it had been sold. The account kept with 
this cow for one year is as follows: 

CoAV. Dr, 

Six months pasture at $2.50 per month,.. $15.00. 

Hay, bran, etc., oO.OO. 

Total $45.00. 

Cr. 

Milk sold $20.00. 

Butter sold and used, 48.00. 

F'our quarts of milk used per day, 55.00. 

Total, $I2:}.00. 

Deduct cost of keeping, 45.00. 

Leaves profit $78.00. 



SHEKP FARMING. 205 

Three years out of the nine the cow jielded a profit of 
over $100 after paying for her keeping. It is perhaps 
needless to add that the cow was well fed and cared for 
in every respect. 

In 1878 I milked eight cows and s®ld the butter at 28- 
cents, and my account with the cows stands as follows: 
Account with dairy. Cr. 

778 pounds of butter sold, $217.84. 

One calf sold, 7.80. 

Milk sold, 10.00. 

Three calves raised, .59.00. 

Profit on cows sold, 16.00, 

Total, $301.64, 

In addition to what was sold a family of nine persons- 
were supplied with milk, butter and cream, and this, 
with what milk was fed to the pigs would, I think, pay 
for the pasturing of the cows. During the winter they 
consumed about six tons of bran and meal, seventy-five 
bushels of corn, and twelve tons of corn-fodder; and as 
the bran cost about $9 per ton and the corn but 25 cents 
per bushel and fodder but $3 per ton, it will be seen 
that I had a fair profit. If, however, the prices of food 
had been doubled, as they sometimes are, I should have 
made but a small profit at the price received. 

To make a butter dairy profitable will require careful 
attention to all the details, and it will not do to trust 
too much to hired help. 



SHEEP FARMING. 

Waldo F. Brown, Sir: — You wish me to write a brief 
article on Sheep, in such fashion that it shall be the 
*' best guide to success." I know no better way than to 



200 SUCCESS I>f FAltMINC. 

give my own metliotls, which are based on long experience. 

Stephen Powers. 



SOILS ANI> BREEDS. 

All sheep do best on a dry, limestone soil ; but they 
■will do well on any soil, provided it is dry. The Merino 
loves the high hills, and is less tolerant of moisture 
than the English long-wools. But for any breed of 
sheep, if the soil is not dry, it should be made so, or else 
put to other uses, for it is a losing business to attempt 
to breed sheep on low, damp ground. Every breed of 
sheep docs well in every climate within the temperate 
zone, provided the process of acclimation is conducted 
slowly. The Merino does equally well in the rigorous 
winter of Vermont and under the torrid sun of the Dar- 
ling Downs of Australia. The Chiviots of Scotland 
could doubtless be transported to Brazil and flourish ; 
but the removal might have to be made by so many 
short steps as to occupy a century. 

The American Merino, for a general-purpose sheep, 
probably stands without a peer. The idea that the av- 
erage full-grown sheep of any one of the improved breeds 
yields better mutton than the average full-grown sheep 
of any other, is fallacious. The special superiority of 
the British long- wools as mutton-producers, is this: 
They do not yield better mutton than the INIerino at the 
*o7»e ac/e, but they bring it into market so much earlier. 
The joung of all animals whose flesh is used for food, are 
esteemed by the gourmets of great cities far above those 
of more mature age. A Cotswold or an Improved Ken- 
tucky will rear a lamb weighing seventy-five or a hun- 
dred pounds inside of six months, and the flesh of that 
lamb is worth in the city twice or thrice as much per 



SHEEF FARMING. 207 

pound as the flesh ol a 3'earling, because of its tender 
•age. It is no better eating than the Merino lamb, but is 
more profitable near a great citj^ simply- because of its 
precocit}'- The remarks in this paper refer to the 
American Merino, but thej^ will be equall}' applicable to 
the English long wools bj' observing the following rule: 
Whenevei the number of sheep in a flock is given, di- 
vide by two, wherever the ration per head is given, mul- 
tiply two. 

CHOICE OF BREEDERS. 

A well wooled ram may be a poor stock-getter. The 
latter quality will have to be determined by trial. A 
quality especially desirable is pre-potencj', that is, the 
jjower to mark his progeny strongly after himself. In 
selecting a ram whose stock-getting qualities are un- 
known, the purchaser should observe the following 
points: A keen, bright, prominent eye ; bright pink skin; 
thick spermatic cords; arched nose, deeply furrowed be- 
low the eyes, short, broad head; short, thick, heavy 
neck ; broad, deep chest ; broad on top of the withers ; 
straight, strong, wide back; broad loin and rump; thick 
between stifle joints, large, round barrel, ribs well 
sprung out; well down in the flanks; short, straight legs, 
well spread apart, straight from the rump to the ground; 
profusely covered from a point two inches below the e^'es 
to the hoofs with a long, dense fleece of buff-colored 
wool, finely erimped to the end of the fiber and free from 
gare, (hair), on the neck and hips, of a dark color on the 
outside which will not bleach in the storms; growing 
three inches long in a year ; cheek, leg and belty wool 
{especially the latter) to be of good length and dense; 
scrotum well covered ; wool around the eyes not obstruct- 
ing the sight; plenty of smallish folds on the neck, some 
on the body and across the stifles, one low down on each 



208 SUCCESS IN FAKMISG. 

flank, and one shaped like a horseshoe on the rump, the 
heavier here the better. Most of the above points should 
be sought for in the ewe; but for a good breeder, she 
should be especially heavy in the hind-quarters. The 
"ewe-neck," with the droop just in front of the withers, 
is to be avoided; it indicates lack of constitution. The 
first, second, and third points in a good sheep are — con- 
stitution. 

BREEDING. 

In determining the time of lambing, the owner must 
consider the size of his flock, the quality and amount of 
spring feed, etc. A small flock well housed, well fed on 
bran, roots, clover hay and fodder, and thoroughly looked 
after, may be lambed to advantage in March, or even 
earlier. It is imperative that the ewes should have daily 
as much exercise as they would get in walking, say, two 
miles, constant access to salt, clear water at least once 
a day, and enough of the above feed to make a generous 
flow of milk. If these cannot be guaranteed, lambing 
had lietter be deferred until grass grows. A ewe fed on hay 
and corn may be fat and yean a large laml), yet have no 
milk, and consequently disown it; and then a year's 
work is lost. Milk must be had at all costs. Never 
lamb on green rye, but when the lamb is a week old, the 
ewe may be turned on it with advantage, if other green 
feed is scarce. Of all cultivated grasses, I like orchard 
grass best for sheep-pasture; it grows so jearly in the 
spring and so late in the fall. Not over 150 ewes should 
be kept in a flock, and each should have at least ten 
square feet in the shed, with access to a 3'ard or lot by 
da^^ As long as grass remains dead in the winter, they 
may run on it with considerable freedom; but as soon 
as it sprouts in the spring they should not be allowed to 
graze on it at all until about a week before such time as 



SHEEP FARMING. 209 

it will do to turn them out altoo-ether. First let them 
out a half hour a day, then an hour, and so on. Con- 
tinue the feed of grain until the grass gets heart. One 
hundred ewes should have, during lambing, a bushel of 
"shipstuff" or two bushels of bran; feed in flat-bot- 
tomed troughs to prevent " hogging." 

During lambing look over the flock ever}' hour. If a 
ewe goes apart and remains alone but does not bring 
forth, examine her; thrust in the hand carefull}^ to as- 
certain if there is not constriction or growing-up of the 
uterus — a complaint to which the Merino ewe is liable. 
Take nothing for granted respecting a young lamb until 
you actually see him suck and know that he gets his 
milk. But be careful not to interfere with a young ewe 
until you are certain that she needs help, or has aban- 
doned her lamb. If she has disowned it i)ut her up with 
it in a small pen and whip her occasionally; I have 
known a ewe to stand out a month, and 3-et own it at 
last. 

MANAGEMENT OP LAMBS. 

They should be docked and castrated before flies get 
about, and a little fish oil smeared on the tail to keep 
away such as may be fl^ang around. Keep a roofed 
trough in the field with salt in it, to teach them to eat 
from a trough. Wean them eai^y in August; turn the 
ewes on the driest pasture, and the lambs on the green- 
est and freshest. But above all, the lambs should not 
bo put into a field where there are stagnant springs 
trickling down through the grass. These breed the par- 
asites which cause "paper-skin" — that many-formed 
and the most fatal malady which American sheep have 
to contend with. The dampest and foggiest river-bot- 
tom, with clear running water to drink, is better than 
the cleanest and driest hill-pasture, if the latter has no 

u 



210 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

water but a drooling spring. After the sheep is a year 
old, the liability to this disease is substantially passed. 
Beginning gradually, one hundred lambs will soon eat a 
bushel of bran a day. If they are late lambs they should 
have all the bran they will eat, to push them forward 
rapidl}' for winter. Add a little oats when frost falls, 
and corn when the snow flies. By New Years feed a 
bushel a day to one hundred — half bran, and a quarter 
each of oats and corn. Lambs will winter excellently on 
this ration and bright corn fodder. When they are first 
taken up from grass, keep them up abou two da3-s with 
no coarse feed before them except fodder, (increasing the 
grain feed while they are being broken in), then let them 
out an hour or two on some good rowen. Persevere in 
this about ten da3's, letting them out two or three times 
on grass meantime; b\' this time the}^ will eat fodder 
nicel}-; then they may have hay at night and fodder in 
the morning. If they learn to eat hay first, it is more 
difficult to break them to eat fodder. They may grow a 
little gaunt before the}'' come to their fodder; but there 
is no occasion for concern, they will be all right in two 
weeks. The same caution applies to them as to ewes re- 
specting grass after it has sprouted in the spring. Green 
grass and hay will not splice; the transition must be 
effected in a very few days, and it is the grain ration 
which must be depended on to let the sheep down easy 
from one to the other, either way. 

TAGGING AND WASHING. 

Before they are turned on grass in the spring, all the 
wool about the vent and hind legs that the dung could 
touch, should be closely cut away to prevent fouling. 
This is especially important with breeding ewes; if they 
are handled carefully it may be done with perfect safety. 
To neglect this is little less than infamous; the maggots 



SHEEP FARMING. 211 

get in and cause untold trouble to the shepherd and 
miserable suffering to the sheep. Even in the summer, 
say about weaning time, all the ewe lambs should be 
tagged carefully, (they are most liable to foul), to pre- 
vent the lodgment of that abominable pest, the maggot. 
A lamb attacked by them soon succumbs, and after ihey 
have had free course for two or three days, it is almost 
impossible to save its life. As to washing, it is idle to 
■cry out against it, so long as manufacturers continue to 
l)U3^ unwashed wool at a dockage of one-third. No wool- 
grower can submit to that unless he houses his sheep 
the year round, thus retaining all the yolk in the fleece. 
Washing is an evil in ma-ny waj^s, but it is one which 
must be faced. The only rational course for the farmer 
is to seek to mitigate it as much as possible by employ- 
ing careful men, giving his personal attention to every 
detail, and sternly repressing all cruelty or unnecessary 
roughness with the sheep. Wash them early on a bright, 
calm day, and turn them on a clean pasture to dry, 
where there is no wind; it will not damage them to any 
considerable extent. 

SHEARING, MARKING, ETC. 

It is legitimate to let the flock run after washing until 
the yolk flows to the extremity of the fiber again, say 
two weeks. But it is not legitimate to shear sheep when 
they are in the least degree moist with dew or rain; the 
greatest pains must be taken to keep them dry before 
shearing, else the fleeces will mold. Neither is it legiti- 
mate to pile the fleeces in a damp room, near the ground, 
nor to do up dead wool in them. But it is legitimate to 
put into them the tags sheared ofl" early in the springy 
after subjecting them to one careful washing in clear, 
cold water, such as the sheep were washed in. A com- 
mon grocer's scale should be kept standing near on a 



212 SUCCESS IN FAKMINO. 

box, adjusted to a certain weight, (the standard to 
which the Hock is bred), and every fleece should be 
thrown on it by the shearer. If it comes up to the 
standard, well and good; if not, let the sheep (which has 
been retained meantime by a strap buckled around be- 
hind its fore-legs and attached to a rope suspended 
from above), be marked for sale. Even if the fleece is 
"weight," if the sheep shows failing teeth, let it be 
condemned, too. Let all sheep beyond middle age be 
weeded out inexorably, especially if the flock is a large 
one. After shearing is over, put all these culls in a lot 
by themselves; give them ever}' advantage of the pas- 
ture, get them fat if possible, and sell them for what 
they will fetch. Do not mix* them with good sheep; 
keep tlie latter separate and demand the highest market 
price for them ; they Avill find a buyer. Do not be in 
any hurry about selling wool. Four times out of five it 
will sell higher in three or six months after shearing 
than it will at shearing. Borrow what money is needed 
for immediate use, and let the clip lie in the wool-room 
until the " bear" movement is passed. 

PASTURAGE, ETC. 

One acre of fair upland pasture ought to support three 
grown sheep; it is safe to calculate on this basis. Keep 
the flocks moving about. It is a good rule to move them 
every week, if possible; at least every two weeks. 
It is better to keep a large number of sheep in a certain 
pasture a short time than to keep a small number there 
a long time. Sheep are fond of change, even if they can 
do no better than to occupy a field from which another 
flock has just been taken. They ought to be turned on 
to grass early enough in the spring to prevent it from 
growing up too rank. It is sheer waste to let June grass, 
for instance, or blue grass, go to seed; it should be kept 



SIIKEr FARMING. 213 

SO depastured that it will throw up a seed-stalk only 
here and there, and that only a few inches in height. 
Sheep will do no gq^d in a field of grass which has gone 
to seed. They should be taken oft' in the fall early 
•enough to allow the grass to cover its roots with some 
matting as a protection in the Avinter. It is better to 
take them offearh' in autumn and put them back early 
in the spring than to be late in the fall and late in the 
spring. About the middle of November, if the flocks 
l)eg"in to show signs of falling oft', it is well to take a 
small ration of shelled corn out every da}', and sow it 
broadcast on a clean short sod. This gives all an equal 
■chance and keeps them in good heart until they are 
read}' to go into winter quarters. 

WINTEU CAKE. 

Sheep ought to be yarded, except for an hour or two 
each day, when they may 1)e allowed to run on an old 
sod or in the woods. If nothing better ofl'ers, turn them 
into a corn stubble; they will take much satisfaction and 
needed exercise in browsing the stul)S. Their yard must 
be in a dry place, with a good wind-break on the ex- 
posed sides, and a shed open on the east or south side, 
furnished with sets of sliding doors, so that it can be 
thrown open if desired, or shut uj) tight with the flock 
inside in a severe storm. A dry flock should have a 
shed large enough to allow eight or ten square feet per 
head, and they should not be compelled to occupy even 
that, except during storms. Sheep desire a variety in 
their ration, and to this end the sheep-houses on the 
farm should be clustered as nearl}' together as good ven- 
tilation will permit, and all the difterent kinds of feed so 
disposed in stacks or graneries that some of each can be 
given out to every flock. Fodder should be fed in an 
open yard — a space sixty feet square Avill suffice for one 



214 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

hundred and fifty sheep— so that the stalks may receive 
the rains of the next summer, and be reduced to the con- 
dition of manure by fall. It is not well to allow hogs to 
follow sheep with the view of triturffling the stalks more 
rapidly; they foul the feeding ground so that sheep will 
not eat up their feed clean. Hay should be given in the 
ordinary slatted boxes under cover — as much as they 
will eat clean and no more, Avhich can be ascertained in 
a few days by careful observation. A good rotation is: 
fodder in the morning, corn at noon, hay at night. Stock 
sheep should be wintered mostly on coarse feed, with 
only enough grain to keep them in good heart, say half 
a pound of corn or oats per head per day. It is more 
profitable to give a little grain than to keep a Hock en- 
tirely on coarse feed. With straw of any kind a pound 
a day should be given. The sheep-house should be lit- 
tered with the orts and cleaned out once a month; if left 
longer than that the ammonia arising impairs the ani- 
mals' health, and forces them to stay out in storms Avheu 
they would otherwise seek shelter. When sheep be- 
gin to scratch their briskets it is a sure sign the ma- 
nure ought to be removed. All grain should be fed \i^ 
flat-bottomed troughs, in a clean yard devoted to this 
purpose, with the troughs so arranged that the sheep will 
run in lengthwise of them. The fashion of the ha^'-box 
does not matter so much as the kind of feed put into it. 
If the hay is bright and sweet they will stand still and 
eat it, and not waste it by pulling out their heads and 
running about. All kinds of grass for sheep-feed ought 
to be cut when in bloom, or even earlier. 

FEEDING FOK MARKET. 

Sheep intended for feeding, should be in good order 
when put into winter quarters, and pains must be taken 
not to allow them to fall off from the start. Whatever 



SHEEP FARMING. 215 

grain is given, must be given with the utmost regularity 
— no change, for instance, from shelled corn to the ear. 
They should have their grain twice or thrice a day, and 
at every feed the e3'e of the master himself should watch 
them carefully; if, after the bulk of the flock have fin- 
ished, there is still a little grain left, and a few linger 
and keep on eating, the}' should be driven from the pen 
with the others, and the pen closed, or the remnant of 
feed I'emoved. Sheep should not have grain 13'ing bj'' 
them, like fatting hogs. The fattening process ought to 
be pushed to completion, so far as the profit is concerned, 
in five or six weeks. Merinoes will not do the best that 
is in them until tlie}' are three or four 3'ears old. Some 
feeders consider it the most profitable waj^ to give only 
enough grain through the winter to keep the flock in as 
good condition as the}' were in fall; at the last push 
them for about three or four weeks; then turn on grass 
for a month ; wash, shear and sell wool and carcass sep- 
arate. 

FULL- BLOODS AND GRADES. 

For years I shared in the popular belief that full- 
bloods are not as hard}' as grades; but I am now satis- 
fled, and record it as m}- opinion, that if full-blood 
American Merinoes are taken from a stud-flock near b}-, 
and graduall}'^ wonted to an open-air life in the summer, 
they will soon learn to endure it as well as the grades. 
But if full-bloods are brought from a stud-flock in a dis- 
tant and different climate, thej^ must become acclimated 
before an attempt is made to depart from the system of 
housing to which the}' have been accustomed. 

PAPER-SKIN. 

This one name covers a disease of several forms, all 
of them caused by i)arasites in ditterent viscera. Only 
lambs are subject to it to- any extent. All medicining is 



216 SUCCESS IX FAKMINO. 

more or less uiisatisfnctorv; the best remedy is, to give 
once a day a teaspoouful composed of equal parts of tur- 
pentine and linseed oil. If the parasites are in the 
stomach and intestines, it is well to g\\c pumpkins, split 
in halves and laid flat side up in flat-bottomed troughs 
divided into small compartments. The seeds are thought 
to be the most efficacious part. Prevention is far more 
important than cure; and this must be accomplished by 
generous feeding, keeping the lamb strong and thrifty 
all summer, until it is taken oft' grass ; keeping it away 
from foul springs, and away from pastures on which 
paper-skin sheep have lately' run. The external indica- 
tions of this disease are a very pale, bloodless, bluish 
skin, lassitude, and extreme lightness in weight. If the 
parasites are in the lungs, the animal coughs; if in the 
kidneys, it urinates frequently. 

FOOT-ROT AND SCALD-FOOT. 

These ailments ought to be kept cai'cfulh' distinct from 
each other. The first is contagious; the second not. 
15otli l)egin in the cleft of the hoof — a galled appearance 
— and for the first two or three weeks not one shepherd 
in a hundred can distinguish between them. If it is 
foot-rot it will now begin to spread in the flock, and it 
will go rapidly frem bad to worse until the foot is sub- 
stantially destroyed; if it is scald-foot, it may remain 
stationary for weeks or months, no other sheep taking it, 
(though in hot weather maggots may get into the feet), 
(u" it may get well of itself. Scald-foot is nothing to be 
feared, but, lest it should be the rot, it is well to treat 
it as such, Si)rinkle finely-powdered blue vitriol in the 
cleft of the foot, working it well in. If it is the foot-rot, 
■well-seated, the vitriol must be applied in a warm solu- 
tion, setting the foot down in it, all the lurking-places of 
the disease having been previously laid bare by an un- 



SHEEP FARMING. 



217 



sparing use of the knife. Turn the sheep on a dry sod, 
und repeat in a week. 

GRUB IN THE HEAD. 

When a sheep seems to have vertigo, goes about in a 
circle, twisting its head around, or makes sudden, erratic 
dashes, the chances are ten to one that it has grub in 
the head. Turn it 'on its back, thrust a strong wheat 
■straw carefully up the nostril, (it will go up five or six 
inches), withdraw the straw, suck it full of turpentine, 
put it up the nostril again and blow out the turpentine. 
Let the sheep up a minute, then repeat in the other 
nostril. 

OTHER DISEASES. 

For colic or stretches, caused by a too abrupt change 
from grass to hay, dose freely with salt. For any kind 
of vegetable poison, drench a grown sheep with a half 
pint of whisky,' a younger one with less. For diarrhea 
give two tablespoonfuls of linseed oil. For maggots, 
«hear the wool off' close to the skin, and smear on fresh, 
thin tar until it reaches the skin everywhere. For ticks, 
give constant access to a box containing three parts salt 
and two of sulphur, and keep the sheep out of the rain. 
For scab, dose Avith sulphur and linseed oil. 

These are really about all the diseases which, in the 
simple and elementary regimen under which sheep-farm- 
ing is as yet conducted, the American shepherd has to 
treat. The books are burdened with lists of maladies 
which trouble the English flock-master, with his more 
complicated methods and high fed flocks ; but they need 
not give us much concern at present. 



218 scccrss in farming. 

POULTRY FOR PROFIT. 

WRITTEN BY MISS M. BROWN, OXFORD, OHIO, 

All over our country there is a general waking up to 
the interests of agriculture, and among our best farmers 
the feeling is growing that success can he reached by 
careful attention to little things— the developing of the 
resources within the grasp of every farmer and his wife. 

Every <nie will admit the expediency of keeping fowls 
on a farm, that his own table may be supplied with 
fresh eggs and that the butcher's bill may be reduced,, 
throughout the season. But much more than this may 
be attained Avith but little outlay, and attended by much 
pleasure and profit. The old way of getting a lot of 
hens and two or three cocks of no distinct breed, of 
letting them look after themselves through the summer 
and roost in the trees all winter, must b}' abandoned; for 
during such a winter as that of '81, some farmers who 
kept a hundred hens, were without eggs for their own 
use during most of the winter. The age of the hens 
should be accurately kept, and they should be made to 
do service in the dinner pot before they have ceased to 
be profitable for eggs. I find that it is safest, especially 
with the larger breeds of chickens, never to keep a hen 
over two 3ears, and new blood should be introduced 
through the cocks each year. If you want to loose your 
young chickens with the gaps, and contend with all the 
diseases chicken flesh is heir to, keep your own cocks 
from year to year, until the relationship between mother 
and offspring shall be as intricate as a Chinese puzzle. 

How shall poultry raising be made in-ofitable to the 
average farmer? is a question worth studying, and I 
gladly give you my experience, gained by actual practice 
for a number of years. , 



POULTRY FOR I'UOFIT. 219 

In the first place do not try to keep too many hens. 
From twenty-five to fifty at the most, through the 
winter, but give this number the proper care and you 
will be surprised at the handsome profit. 

First, select a suitable place for your chicken house^ 
well drained, with a southern exposure, and sheltered 
by buildings on the north and Avest, if possible. 
Whether 3'ou have this shelter or not, by buildings, 
plant an evergreen hedge on one or both of these sides; 
arbor vitse is my choice : Trees two feet high can be had 
for a few cents each, and if set three or four feet apart^ 
will soon grow into a dense hedge. My own, set nine 
years ago, is now twenty feet high, and is a comfort to 
the chickens every day in the year. This hedge is their 
" city of refuge." They run to it for protection against 
wind, rain and snow storms; the}- hide under it by day 
to escape the hawks; and all through tlie hot months of 
summer climb among its branches at night to be out of 
the reach of skunks and weasels. During the terrible 
heat of the past summer, 1881, this hedge was the chief 
source of consolation to the 3'oung cliickens. They 
would crawl under and among the close branches for 
slielter until on close inspection, sometimes, it looked 
like a tree bearing chickens for fruit. Plant this hedge 
by all means; and then build your chicken house 
within its sheltering protection and you have gone a 
long way toward making poultrj' raising a success. 

A house fourteen feet long and six wide can accomo- 
date comfortabl}', fifty chickens through the winter. 
My own is built against the barn, seven feet high at the 
back, with a slope of two feet for the roof; half of the 
front is of glass to let the sunshine in, and this half is 
always kept supplied with fresh chip-dirt. To look in 
here some bright winter day would make you believe 



220 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

chicken happiness was a cheap tiling-. There is a board 
three inches high to separate the dusting place and the 
part over wliich the chickens roost. It is all boarded 
over the floor with two inch oak planks, so that not even 
a weasel or mouse can get in when the door is closed. 
Dry dirt is kept over the floor to absorb the droppings, 
and during the summer months is scraped into a barrel 
once every two weeks. Every spring this house is 
whitewashed, inside and out, and occasionally kerosene 
oil is applied to the roosts and turned into the cracks. 

I have never found it best in a small chicken house 
like this to have the la^'ing boxes connected with it, but 
have a small slide door through into the barn, and there 
have boxes and kegs arranged in a suitable number. 
The objection I have to the nests being so close to- 
gether is that in cold weather, when closely confined, 
for the lack of other modes of exercise they scratch their 
nests to pieces, break, and often learn to eat their eggs. 
During the summer months most of the hens vacate the 
house at night, but as soon as the weather begins to get 
rough, can, hy a little coaxing, all be gathered in; and 
before this time I try to sell ott" and reduce my stock to 
the number that can be comfortably wintered. When 
the ground is covered with snow I feed liberally every 
morning with what is called ship-stuft' — a mixture of 
bran and shorts- — wet with scalding water and then cool- 
ed with skim-milk; also feed scraps from the table, occa- 
sionally sunflower seeds, and cayenne peppers mixed with 
the bran; and at noon give a light feed of some kind of 
whole grain. Let the amount be regulated by the 
weather. Chickens do much better when made to for 
xigG for themselves, and they destroy a vast amount of 
weed seed and insects of every description, the Colorado 
beetle excepted. I always make my hens get down otf 



POULTRY FOR PROFIT. 221 

the roosts and come out doors to get their feed, no mat- 
ter what the weather is. During a snow storm we 
always clear awa}" the snow for quite a space around 
the house so they can get at the gravel and come out for 
fresh air and exercise. An iron kettle holding a couple 
of gallons of water, is sunk within two inches of the top 
in earth and is kept full of water. During the summer 
cobble stones are thrown into the kettle so the little 
chickens are in no danger of drowning. During very 
cold weather the water must be hot to melt the ice, and 
as soon as it cools sufficientl}^ the chickens will gather 
and drink until the water is lowered several inches, and 
thus leave space for the next watering. A trough long^ 
enough for all the chickens to gather around is best for 
receiving the feed. 

One of the main points in poultry raising is to secure 
early pullets, and this can be done by a little care and 
pains. Some time in February or the fore pait of 
March select the very roundest eggs, gathered on warm 
days when there is- no danger of their getting chilled, 
and if possible set three hens at a time and if they 
should not hatch well give the chicks to two hens. Take 
extra pains with the nests and do not give the hens over 
thirteen eggs each. A good body of earth in the bottom 
of the hatching boxes insures steady warmth, and is 
always an advantage. Remove a part of one side of the 
box and have it so arranged that the hen can walk 
directl}^ on the nest and is not obliged to jump down on 
the eggs. When the time nears for the eggs to hatch 
prepare some coops that can be perfectly closed at 
night, and have a 'little yard about the coop for the 
chicks and hen to run in through the day. The coops 
should be located just south of the arbor vitae hedge. 
Feed the 3'oung chickens with the bran-mash and corn 



222 SUCCESS IX FARMING. 

bread, but do not give thera clear, raw com raoal dough. 

Plymouth Rock aud other hardy varieties of chickens, 
with these few simple arrangements will thrive through 
iiny weather our climate can produce during the early 
spring months. Pullets hatched in March or the first of 
April, will mature and begin lajdng in September, and 
will pay for themselves before Thanksgiving. I have a 
pullet hatched during the terrible snow storm last 
spring, that has at this date, November 1st, laid twenty- 
five eggs, and shows no signs of sitting yet. 

During the hot weather look out for vermin, and 
grease your sitting hens under the wings with a mix- 
ture ot lard and kerosene. If you have not many hens 
condense your broods of little chickens through the hot 
weather. I had two hens this summer that raised 
twenty-five each. 

The care of the poultry ought to be given to some 
member of the family and let an accurate account be 
kept of all outlay, and also of the amount sold. There 
is no better way to teach a child strict business habits 
and to teach it self-help and economy, than by giving it 
an. interest and share in the profits, 

A small piece of ground planted in sun flowers, 
Dhoura corn and ca3'enne peppers will go a long way 
toward feeding the chickens through the winter. The 
<lemand for poultry and eggs is on the increase, and it 
is the part of wisdom for the farmer to meet this grow- 
ing demand and benefit not only himself, but the con- 
sumer. 



CHAPTER XX. 



TIMBER GROWING. 

The number of farms on which timber planting should 
at once be begun is large and constanth' increasing. 
Even in localities like my own, where less than thirty 
years ago the question was how to get rid of the timber, 
and deadening and burning was resorted to for clearing 
the land, there are now many farms without fire- wood and 
A'ery few on which there is any rail timber left. On all 
these farms timber plantations should be started at 
once; and even on many which still have a supply of 
timber, it has passed its prime and there should be new 
plantings made. As a rule, the least valuable lands 
should be planted in timber; that which is too rolling 
to cultivate, and even lands which have been reduced in 
fertility by long cropping, will grow trees well. 

The profits of timber on such land will often exceed 
many times, all that could have been made from them if 
cultivated; and when planted in Locust it renews itself 
sifter being cut, and the second crop grows in two-thirds 
the time required by the first, and will yield a regular 
income for several years. I have had ten years experi- 
ence in growing timbers, but for thirty-one j^ears have 
lived in sight of several groves of locust, and so what I 
state in this chapter is fact, and not theory. My ex- 
perience extends to but three varieties of timber, Locust, 
Catalpa and Soft Maple, and of these, in all localities 
where they will thrive, I should expect the greatest 



224 -SUCCESS IX FARMIXO. 

profit from the Locust. If fire- wood, or a quick growing' 
wind-break is the object sought, I would advise the 
planting of Soft Maple. I cut a half cord of wood last 
spring trom eighteen trees of Soft Maple occupyin^^. 
single row fifty feet long, which had been growing nine 
years; This was at the rate of over twenty-five cords 
to the acre with the rows one rod apart. I have trees 
of this timber eighteen yesira old which measure from 
three and a half to four feet in circumference, and I esti- 
mate they will make over a half cord each. Near my 
farm is a plantation of two acres of Locust which was 
started m 1850, the seed being planted in hills like corn. 
This was cut oft' and marketed in 1868. and I knoAv that 
it brought several hundred dollars per acre; but as it 
has changed hands I have no way of ascertaining how 
much. In 1879, eleven years after it was cut off clean, 
the owner began cutting the second crop of posts, and I 
visited it and made a careful examination of it. When 
planted in 1850 the trees were four feet apart each way: 
but they were thinned out and sold for bean poles and 
stakes, so that at the time it was cut off the trees stood 
eight feet apart. When I visited it eleven years later, I 
found that each stump had thrown out from three to 
seven sprouts, and the largest of these were now large 
enough for posts and cutting them out was a positive 
advantage to the remainder, and as the stumps averaged 
over four of these sprouts I found that over two thous- 
and posts could be cut and still leave the original num- 
ber of trees — 680. I have never known these posts to 
sell for less than 20 cents each, so it will be seen that 
this land would yield a good income on the second crop 
of trees after they were eleven years old. For ten j'ears 
to come from the cuttings and in twenty years from the 
first cutting, if the straightest and best trees were 



TIMBER-GROAVING. 225 

allowed to stand, one to each stump, there would be 680 
trees that would make several posts each. If allowed 
to grow until each tree would make ten posts, at 20 cents 
each they would bring $1,360.00, and the wood from the 
branches would pay all the expense of cutting and split- 
ing. There is on this farm from twelve to twenty acres 
of Locust timber, most of it on hillsides, all of which 
was planted, and there is growing on the land a heav}'^ 
crop of blue grass which pays a fair interest on the cost 
of land and trees. 

When I came to Ohio, in 184:8, there was growing on 
the farm I moved upon a double row of small Locust 
trees, twentj^ rods long. I do not know how long they 
had been planted but I could easily carry one of them, 
and did dig up and carry on my shoulder several of 
them to set around the house. In 1867 these trees were 
cut — there were thirty-three of them — and they aver- 
aged twelve large posts each and half as many small 
ones, which were used for fence stakes. Allowing one 
rod of ground in width, which these trees occupied, 
there was just one-eighth acre and the trees were scat- 
tering, less than two to the square rod. The second 
growth from them is over two hundred trees, tall and 
straight ; many of them will make three and some four 
post cuts to the tree, and there have been posts made 
from this second growth for one or two years past. I 
have seen a gate post that squared six inches made 
from a Locust tree that grew from the seed in eight 
years, and I now have on mj^ farm a ten year old tree 
that will split and make two posts. I know that in 
some localities the bores injures the Locust trees, but I 
think it is usually isolated trees that suffer most, and I 
have never known a plantation seriously injured. I be- 
lieve there is no investment that with perfect safety 

15 



226 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

offers so large profits as the plantinp^ of Locust timber. 
There are lands suitable for this purpose which can be 
bought for $25 to $35 an acre, which, if planted in Locust 
timber, in ten years would be worth from $300 to $500 
per acre, and at the same time would be taxed for per- 
haps less than $50 per acre. There is no danger of 
overstocking the market, and those who begin planting 
Locust timber will soon reap a rich reward. 

The seed should be sown in nursery rows, in April or 
May, and must be prepared by scalding. Put it in a 
tight vessel and pour water nearly boiling hot over it 
and let it stand until cool. You then find about one 
seed in twelve swollen to three times the ordinary size; 
spread them in the sun till dry enough to handle and 
then separate these swollen seeds, which, if the quantity 
is small can be done by hand, or a sieve can be used 
which will retain the swollen seed and let the remainder 
pass through. The seed which does not swell must be 
treated with the hot water repeatedly; each time a larger 
proportion will swell, and from four to six applications 
of the hot water will be necessary. Seed prepared in 
this way will come up as quickly as corn, but if the 
weather is not suitable for planting it may be kept in a 
cool place for a week or more. If it must be kept, spread 
it an inch or so in depth in some vessel, and set on the 
cellar bottom and cover with a damp cloth. Sow in 
shallow drills three feet apart, eight to twelve seeds to 
the foot of drill, and cover an inch deep. Give good 
culture and they will grow from three to five feet high 
the first season. Always set out in the plantation atone 
year old. The growth will be checked less than if al- 
lowed to stand two years. In planting the trees you 
want the land thoroughly prepared by plowing and har- 
rowing; then lay off the rows with the two-horse plow 



TIMBER-GROWING. 227 

SO as to have the turrows deep enough for the roots; 
stretch a line across, or if you prefer cross mark with a 
small plow. You will need a boy to hold the trees and 
two men with light shovels to put the earth to the roots. 
Two men and a boy will plant about an acre a day in 
this way. The trees will get well established and make 
quite a growth the first year, but it is best to cut back 
close to the gi'ound early the next spring, as they will 
make a strong vigorous growth this season and have 
straighter trunks. They should be cultivated for two 
summers after which they will occupy the land so that 
the weeds will do them no harm. I advise planting 
four b}^ four feet, as the growth will be straighter when 
planted close. At about four years after planting cut 
out every other row. They will be large enough for 
bean poles and occasionally one will do for a fence stake. 
A few years later, when large enough for fence stakes or 
vineyard poles, cut every other one. This will leave 
the trees eight feet apart each way, or 680 to the acre. 
After the first row is cut out sow in grass and pasture 
with sheep or young cattle. 

In growing Soft Maple seedlings, you gather the seed 
as soon as ripe in the spring, which is about the time 
strawberries ripen, and sow at once. It will come up as 
readily as beet seed and grow from three to five feet 
high the first summer. In setting these in plantations, 
unless I expected to get sale for a part of them for shade 
trees, I would put the rows eight feet apart and the trees 
four, A double row of these planted along the North 
and "West of exposed fields will afford protection to both 
crops and cattle, and in prairie countries, it is said that 
where one-sixth of the land is occupied by wind-breaks 
the remainder will grow enough more grain to pay for 
it. Where a wind-break is needed for the buildings, I 



228 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

would advise the planting of evergreens. Cedar or Ar- 
bor Vitai are probably the best. They will be a great 
comfort during the winds of winter and spring. 

The Catalpa has been largely recommended as a tim- 
ber tree for some years past, but my own experience with 
it shows that though it ma^^ be a valuable timber it has 
qualities which render it inferior to the Locust. I have 
1)een growing it for four years and I tind it to be of 
much slower growth than the latter, and veiy much in- 
clined to branch and grow scraggy, Out of several 
hundred which 1 have growing not one in twenty are- 
even passably straight. The seed of Catalpa is light as 
that of parsnip, and will not come up if sown deeply or 
on a stiff* clay, and as the young trees, when they are 
four inches high, can be transplanted as easily as sweet 
potatoes, I would recommend that the seed be sown in a 
frame, in prepared soil, and where they can be pro- 
tected. 

There is one other timber which I have had no ex- 
perience with, but which would undoubtedly by profit- 
able to grow, and that is Black Walnut. The seed 
must be planted in the fall and it is well to plant where 
thc}^ are to grow, as the trees do not bear transplanting 
well. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



COUNTRY HOMES. 

BY MRS, J. C. ALDKICH, OF FULTON COUNTY, OHIO. 

As success in farming depends largely upon the ar- 
rangement and management of the home, certainly a vol- 
ume on this subject would he ver^- incomplete without a 
chapter specially devoted to the household. And even a 
■chapter seems insufficient for mention of the various 
topics connected with this department. 

Home, in its widest sense, signifies " all that pertains 
to a dwelling place." With tliis broad heading for our 
-chapter, such a throng of subjects crowd to the front 
and demand the first place in importance, that it is diffi- 
cult to decide which shall have the preference; but en- 
deavoring to forget for the moment the jostle and clamor 
for pre-eminence of hygiene, order, cleanliness, adorn- 
ment, etc., etc., we will go back of the home for our be- 
ginning. 

A farmer's possessions may stretch over a vast area 
of countr3-; his herds may feed on a thousand hills; he 
may enjo}' the reputation of being a very rich man; yet, 
the impressions made on his character by his home and 
its surroundings, will unmistakal)!}' stamp his real worth 
In society. It is therefore essential that he begins right 
in life. "We would by no means tarnish the holy senti- 
ment of love by cold calculations in profit and loss; but 
would simply suggest that all mingle a little common 
sense in matters of love. For instance, a man should 



230 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

love the woman he is capable of making happy; and a 
woman should never imagine she loves the man Whose 
business she despises. 

The young man who decides to be a farmer, should 
select for his companion a woman ever}- way fitted for a 
farmer's wife. We do not mean by this a woman of the 
greatest physical endurance and the least mental ca- 
pacity; the largest capacity for acquiring wealth and 
the least desire for spending it on artistic tastes; noth- 
ing of the kind. But a woman whose heart is tilled with 
a love for the country, who goes to her home like a queen 
to her tlirone, proud and happy and independent; one 
who docs not regard domestic life as degrading drudg- 
ery, or the occupation of farming as an inferior one. 
Such a woman would help to build up a home that Avould 
be a blessing to its inmates and an honor to the farmer's 
vocation. 

But we have to admit that all farm homes are not 
models of perfection, even where the husband and wife 
are united in their love for the business. We see many 
farmers with large farms living in homes destitute of 
books, paintings, music, everything in fact, that will not 
yield an interest in dollars and cents. In most cases of 
this kind the proprietor has commenced life with limited 
means, and found economy and retrenchment more easily 
practiced in and around the house than anywhere else 
in farming. Certainly, underdraining must be exten- 
sively done to insure the growth of crops; long lines of 
fences must be made to protect them, and large liarns 
must be built to secure them; for the crops of the farm 
are the money-producing element, and must not be neg- 
lected. Then the long list of farm implements and ma- 
chinery necessary for carrying on modern farming must 
be fdled before any furniture for the house, beyond the 



COUNTRV HOMES. ^ 231 

barest necessities can be afforded. B}' the time pros- 
perit}^ becomes established, the enforcement of rigid fru- 
gality in everything pertaining to the house has become 
a habit so fixed in the nature of both husband and wife, 
that long after the necessity for its practice has ceased, 
we find them subjecting every proposed improvement to 
their utilitarian test, and opposing an}^ outlay for beau- 
tifying their home as a needless expense.* What their 
poverty once made an excusable economy, their present 
circumstances render a very censurable parsi mony. Very 
often the surplus that should be expended in bringing 
cheer and comfort to the household, is deposited in the 
bank, awaiting a favorable opportunity' for investing in 
more land. 

It is a mistaken notion with some, that they must 
wait until they have grown rich before the}' begin to 
gather around them the enjoyments of life. 

The little cabin in the clearing may contain all the 
elements of refined living; the evidences of intelligence 
and culture sit as gracefull}^ within its neatly white- 
washed walls as in the mansions of the wealthy; ivies 
and eglantines cling as lovingly to its rude logs as to 
the stately columns of opulence; and the fragrance of 
flowers floats in through its tiny windows as freelj^ as 



*Mrs. Aldrich has opened a truth, a secret to many, that the 
disregard to taste and beauty in some farm homes is the natu- 
ral result of long-continued necessary economy. But Ijecause 
natural, it does not follow that it is right. It is a pitiful thing 
to see a man and woman give all the strength and vigor of their 
lives in the effort to secure an "independence," and when they 
have secured it find they have forgotten how to enjoy it. Yet 
such a sight is to be found in thousands of farm homes to-day ; 
and there are thousands and thousands of farmers wlio, liav- 
ing acquired a "competence," still rise up early and work late, 
and pinch and deny themselves and their families every lux- 
ury, when they could not tell what they were saving the monej^ 
for. R. s. T. 



232 . SUCCESS IX F.VRMixa. 

through a platc-2;lass ciisouK'nt. There is such a wealth 
of material around every country home tor creations of 
beauty. The scraggy, gnarled sticks may be made into 
rustic work; tlie stones lying- around in the way, into 
rockeries, the lichens into brackets and hanging baskets 
to receive trailing or climbing plants; even a great, ugly 
stump in the yard may be made a thing of beauty by 
hollowing out the top, filling Mith earth and planting 
with trailing vines. There is no need of waiting for the 
accumulation of riches to make a pleasant home. No 
matter how humble your beginnings, take to 3'our home 
all the 1)eauty and happiness within your reach, and by 
the time you are ready to build the great farm-house 
that has long been a castle in the air, 3-ou will find so 
many l)right memories inwoven with your life in the 
dear little cottage, "so many i)recious things you can 
never take away," that, with regret you will move, " out 
of the old house into the new."* ^ 

IN AND AKOUND THE NEW HOUSE, 

The building of a farm house sliould bo the subject of 
serious consideration. You are not building for a renter 
who can leave if dissatisfied when the first crop is har- 
.Tcsted; but 3'ou are making a home for 3'ourselves and 

*The family, also, that has learned, durhigthe days of hard- 
ship and toil, to make much of every fjleam of beauty, of every 
<)pi)ortunity for intellectual advancement, of everythini? that 
ieads to taste, refinement and culture, will find wlien the new 
home is secured, that they have not in the makint^ lost the 
faculty for enjoyment, and that they will go into the "new 
home" and all its improvements as "though tliey had been all 
their life long accustomed to its enjoyments. I have seen ele- 
gant countrj^ residences, with all the attractions that money 
could buy, in which the older members of the family spent 
tlieir time in the kitchen or back yard, because they "felt more 
at home tliere." A melanclioly confession that their former 
home had been all kitchen and bat-kyard, and that they felt ill 
at ease in a liome of refinement and beauty, because they hai^l 
never been accustomed to it. ' R. s. t. 



COUNTRY HOMES. 233 

perhaps j'our children after a'ou ; therefci'e all the wis- 
dom of the family should be brought to bear upon the 
"vvork. 

The shape of the house should harmonize with the 
site it is to occupy, and the grounds about the house 
must of course bear a relation to the size of the farm. If 
the farm is large, consecrate a generous piece of land to 
ornamental purposes. But whatever the shape or size of 
farm, avoid that orthodox walk, straight, and narrow, 
li edged in with shrubs, from the gate to the front door; 
iind avoid that greater abomination, a narrow front yard. 
Nothing helps a passer-by to form a more correct opin- 
ion of the inmates than the surroundings of a farm 
house. A farm with hundreds of broad acres stretching 
iiway in the distance, laden with the mone^^-yielding grain, 
-and a little seven-by-nine picketed yard in front is a sad 
sight. One cannot but fear that the owner is a narrow- 
«ouled man, with narrow doctrines and narrow ideas of 
the higher nature's demands. If your farm is too small 
to devote much ground to merel}' ornamental trees and 
shrubs, grape arbors, cherry and pear trees, small fruits, 
■etc., can occupy space at the sides, and will not harm 
the roses and lilacs if the}^ are not separated from them 
by a " paling." But leave the lawn in front of the house 
smooth and unbroken by trees of any kind. Have a 
piece of ground to one side, plowed deep, and made rich 
and mellow for the main flower garden. Beds — not too 
many of these — may be cut in the lawn, round, oblong, 
or any fanciful shape, and planted with dutch bulbs. 
These make a gorgeous display in early spring. The 
dullest observer will turn to look at a group of these 
g?y-colored flowers in their emerald setting of velvety 
grass, and remember them long as a picture of beaut3\ 
JBetween the rows of bulbs, annuals or geraniums may 



234 srcoESs in farming. 

be plantcil, that will keep up a show of fl;iming color until 
snow falls.* 

Plant plenty of hardy flowering shrubs and perennials '^ 
these, when once planted, are little trouble, and afford 
much satisfaction. In making your selection, be care- 
ful to get a large proportion of fragrant shrubs and 
plants. The veiy breath of heaven seems wafted to us 
in the fragrance of flowers. If yon have a fine old forest. 
tree near the house, spare it — for the love of beauty 
spare it. You can supply its place with nothing half so 
grand. 

No special directions can be given for the approaches 
to the house, as the shape of the ground and the space 
devoted to the 3'ard must decide this in each individual 
case. Man}' houses are built so near the road as to pre- 
clude all possilulity for anything but a straight drive at 
the side. This is a great mistake; it gives the house 
too much the semblance of the toll-gate or wayside inn; 
while a fine drive, sweeping up under over-hanging shade 
trees, always gives a spacious, villa-like appearance even 
to an ordinary house. The walks need not not be straight. 
or rectangular, even in a small yard. An oblong bed irt 



* I confess I am not particularly in favor of the " piece of 
ground" for a flower garden. It has always seemed to mo that 
the growing of flowers in a field, like corn, .siioukl be left to the 
professional flower-grower, and that the flowers al)ont the- 
home should have a ''fitness" to the place where they are fonnd.. 
I would as soon thiiflv of taking afl the l)raekets, window-eur- 
tains, pictures, mottoes, vases, shells, faney work, ete. about 
the house to one large room, and arrange them artistieally 
there,- as put my flowers in one large " flower garden." Flow- 
ers are the outward adornments of the home, as the articles I 
have named are the inwanl adornments. A small, round bed 
here, an oval one tliere, some choice flowers under this win- 
dow, a flowering slirub by that — a little edging of 1)loom, found 
unexpectedly — would be my ideal. But Mrs. Aldricli's taste 
is good, and she may have better judgment in this than I. 

K. s. T. 



COUNTRY HOMES. 235- 

front of the liouse, set with foliage or flowering plants — 
the path curving to the right and left of this, one going 
to the front door, and the other passing round to the 
sitting-room or kitchen, is ver}^ pretty. 

Do not allow the back yard to become a A'ery Tophet 
for the whole place. Allow no accumulations there not 
directly connected with the conveniences of the house. 
The back walks, being matters of convenience, may con- 
nect directly as possible with the various out-buildings. 
Let them be built of plank, or some substantial material, 
and safcl}' above " high water mark ;" this will secure 
3^ou against "stormy weather" in the house during a 
muddy time.* 

There are evidences of neglect about some country 
homes worse, even, than the utter absence of all orna- 
mentation. Among the most odious of these is the 
stench from hog-pens, hen-houses, etc., that laden all the 
atmosphere about the place with their disgusting odors. 
This is inexcusable. Some attempt to apologize for the 
negligence by saying that during the hot, busy season 
they have no time for the necessary purifications. We 
all understand that cleanliness is the best disinfectant in . 



*Mrs. Aldrich lives in a timber country, and naturally sug- 
gests plank ; but after a very extensive observation in all sec- 
tions, I know of no better material to suggest, (travel, even 
where it can 1)e had, is liable to track into the house ; tan-bark 
stains the carpets ; flag stones, unlesjTmuch smoother than can 
usually be obtained, hold water and mud in wet weather, and 
are always unpleasant to walk on. Brick walks are expensive 
to lay, and in muddy countries troublesome to keep in order. 
Get 3 by 3 studdings, hard wood, lay them 2io feet apart from 
out to out ; set them firmly on stones or brick ; get full inch 
lumber, 6 or 8 inches wide" and sawed at the mill into 3-foot 
lengths, and you can easily make a walk that will always be 
clean and comfortable, and will last for years. In laying your 
boards, if green, put close together; if seasoned, leave a quar- 
ter-inch crack; put two 8-penny nails in each end of a board; 
and. as soon as a board breaks or gets loose, repair it. R. s. T. 



236 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

use; but a penny's worth of copperas sprinkled on and 
around the unclean spot, will effectualh' neutralize its 
loathsome exhalations, and any one may avail himself 
of this escape from allowing his place to become a pub- 
lic nuisance. 

Another is having no means of reaching the house 
with a team save through the barn-yard, which in such 
cases is strewn with all kinds of farm implements, from 
the new self-binding reaper, down through all conditions 
of dilapidation to the most absolutely worthless trash. 
After a meandering route over, around and between 
these, 3'ou are lialted at the kitchen door, where pigs, 
ducks, etc., mix with their own filth that thrown from 
the kitchen in the form of slops and refuse of all kinds. 
Finding here their element, they grunt and waddle 
about with perfect impunity, evidently considering them- 
selves part and parcel of the family. Holland saw a 
great similarity between hogs and human l)eings, but 
we have no right to cultivate this similarity by such 
close association, and we have no right to disgust the 
senses with such loathsome sights and scents about a 
■ human dwelling. We would gladly forget such places; 
but they exist, and instead of turning from them in 
silence, we should point out their imperfections and en- 
deavor to bring them up to higher ground. 

The idea that farmery and theii* families have small ca- 
pacity for enjoying the elegancies of life, and therefore 
need little, has so long been popular among professional 
men, that many farmers have come to believe it them- 
selves; and the habit of being satisfied witli the husks of 
their labor while some one else receives the kernel, clings 
to them like mildew to linen, and regarding themselves 
as a kind of intermediate beings between the animals 
they feed and the men they vote for, the^^ imagine rude 



^ COUNTRY HOMES. 237 

living and coarse manners more in keeping with theii- 
occupation than the comforts and refinements of a well 
arranged home. Such need missionaries sent among 
them to proclaim the gospel of the grange.* 

Turning from these unpleasant phases of country life, 
we will go back to the pleasant home where all love to 
loiter under the pleasant shade trees, among the flowers, 
and shrubs, and beautiful walks. But we go into the 
house at once. We have a difficult task to perform. 
Those who have always been making the old home pleas- 
ant and beautiful, come into the new home with culti- 
ted tastes and well informed judgment in all matters of 
furnishing and arrangement; these will need no help of 
ours; we trust, however, such will be patient, and not 
consider as useless detail our efforts to help those who 
have been waiting to move into the "new house" before 
they commenced a systematic course of furnishing. 

As it is the most common way of building in the coun- 
try, we will suppose the house is an " upright-with-a- 
wing" and an "L"' extending back from the wing, (we 
would suggest that the " L" be rather disproportionate 
in length, or the proprietor may be required to build an 
addition for a summer kitchen.) This furnishes conve- 
nient space for a farm house, and though not as elegant iu 



*It can hardly be thought strange that so many farmers 
have low opinions of themselves and of their calling when we 
remember that from time immemorial the farmer has been 
supplied with literature prepared for him by those who look 
down upon him. His babies are supplied with story-books 
which tell of the "rough, ignorant, country boy ;" his boys are 
fed on wonderful tales of how someone, though only a farmer's 
boy, had gone to town and become a gentleman, and when 
he gets to be a man he takes a political paper, edited and man- 
aged by men who regard the farmers as so many " head" to be 
brought up to the polls and voted. Any wonder we find many 
farmers who seem incapable of rising to a due appreciation of 
their rights and of the dignity of their calling? R. s. t. 



238 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

appearance as a square house, it lias the advantage of 
costing- less for brackets, columns, etc., without which a 
square house would bean unsightly object. 

With this style of house we usually dispense with the 
convenience of a hall, but the sitting-room opens on a spa- 
cious veranda, and all the glory of the front 3^ard is con- 
tinually'' spread before the family, which we think pleas- 
anter than having the sitting-room in the rear of the 
parlor. 

Let the veranda be one very paradise. First impres- 
sions are most lasting, and while one is waiting here for 
admission, your home is being photographed in his 
memory by these beautiful surroundings. How differ- 
ent the picture will be from that which, if, by the "shut- 
iip-go-to-the-back-door" look of things at the front, he is 
compelled to go round to the kitchen to gain admission, 
^nd work his way in between wash-tubs and through 
the steam of boiling clothes, to a darkened sitting-room, 
destitute of any object to engage his attention. We must 
enter a protest against this shutting up of the whole 
front of the house practiced b}"" some. 

Since the advent of screens, no excuse remains for fam- 
ilies cloistering themselves in this perpetual shadow and 
gloom. Screens are not expensive luxuries, and cer- 
tainly for their price, no man would allow himself and 
family to be tortured through the day with flies, and of 
evenings be bitten and stung by mosquitoes and all man- 
ner of moths and beetles that swirl in and swoop down 
on unprotected victims. Let the house be provided with 
screens, and throw open the doors and blinds and let in 
the joy-giving sun-light and the fresh, pure air.* 



* A dark house is seldom a clean house, and never a heal- 
thy one. Sun-light and air are Nature's disinfectants and 
tonics. If the light reveals dirt and dust, so much the more 



COUNTRY HOMES. 239 

Make the front door look so pleasantly inviting that 
Tisitors will know the^' are expected to enter there. Let 
^n ivy arch the door-wa}' with its rich, glossy green, or ~ 
place a Speciosa Fuchsia on a bracket, and train its long, 
vine-like branches above the door, and it will gladden 
j^ou all summer with its masses of drooping buds and 
blossoms. If your porch is shady, plant the graceful 
Adlumia; it is the very lace work of all climbers, with 
its long vines bearing such an abundance of fringy fol- 
iage and delicate flowers you maj^ festoon the entire 
veranda. 

Let the furnishing of the sitting-room be such as to 
sustain the good impressions made by outside appear- 
ances — tasteful, substantial, and for the use and happi- 
ness of the family. 

It is useless to attempt to give directions in reference 
to styles of paper and carpets. The prevailing styles at 
time of purchasing must be the guide. Now rich, dark 
colors for both are sought, while a few j^ears ago neutral 
tints for paper were recommended by good authority, 
:and a soft, grajj- ground, scattered over with wreaths of 
roses and delicate flowers, was a lady's ideal of beauty 
in a carpet. No one need regret having bought when 
this style prevailed, for it is pretty and always will be. 

The sitting-room carpet should be no flimsy, cheap af- 
iair, and better a pretty, bright, rag-carpet than an in- 
grain or brussels, if such a one would cause you to worry 
about its being spoiled by every-day use. Make this 
room especially bright and cheery. This is the hearth- 
stone, the family altar, where all come at evening to gather 
Test and strens:th and blessing. Let the table be fur- 



Tieed for the light. The farmer is learning that it is ruinous 
to keep stock in dark stables ; but some have not yet found 
out that the family is entitled to as much thoughtful care as 
the stock. R. s. T. 



240 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

nished with books and papers and magazines of sterling^ 
worth, a stereoscope and views, suitable games; in short,, 
whatever elevates, entertains and develops the mind, 
should have a place here. Have plenty of easy-chairs — 
not necessarily expensive ones, but such as will give 
comfort and ease to the occupant. These may be made 
of old chairs bottomed with coftee-sacking and covered 
with pretty red calico. It has been said that red is the 
glor}' of color. We would have red predominate in the 
sitting-room. Ever3-thing looks bright and warm in its. 
glow. Let the table-spread be red, the couch and rug 
be lighted up with it, and whatever hanging, fancy work, 
such as an air-castle or a balloon for this room, should 
be trimmed with red; tidies for the chairs, and mats for 
the table, should be white, as they require frequent 
washing, and would be prettier on the red than any 
color. 

Do not commit the blunder so often noticed, of carry- 
ing all the family pictures and cheap chromos, in fact, 
everything in the shape of ornament, to the parlor, leav- 
ing the rest of the walls to stare at you in naked ugli- 
ness, while the parlor presents a heterogeneous collec- 
tion, varied and contrasting as the contents of a Yankee 
peddler's wagon. 

The famih' pictures are of course dearer to the family 
than any one else, and should therefore be appropriately 
grouped in the sitting-room or family sleeping-rooms, 
where their dear remembered faces Avill beam on those 
who love them with such tenderness as to make them 
quite forget the old-fashioned clothes and oddly combed 
hair, which often prove very amusing to visitors. 

There are some very pretty chromos — they are mostly 
copies of historic paintings, and through them we may 
gain some idea of the original — for this reason we gladly 



COUNTRY HOMES. 241 

give them place in the sittiug-room. The best of these 
may be taken to the parlor if 3'ou haA'e no oil paintings. 
or steel engravings. Not many farm-houses are very 
rich in works of art, but farmers' Avives must make this 
a part of their religion: to feel satisfied with things 
within their reach — but reach as far as you can in the 
way of advancement. 

In buying, do not select the flashy, high-colored, barn- 
yard scenips so comuKm. Nature furnishes for us better 
pictures of this kind; but get something good of its class 
that will bring a lesson with it.* 

Nothing is more perplexing to the housewife in the 
way of furnishing than the matter of curtains, for style is 
so vacillating and changeful in this item. If she at- 
tempts to follow this fickle dame in this, as in many 
other things, she will be kept on the rack much of the 
time, besides finding on her hands a greater sup- 
ply of curtains than her means will warrant in getting. 
A better way is to decide that "a thing of beauty is a 
joy forever" — get what she thinks prett}' and be satis- 
fied with it, no matter what Mrs. Grundy says. This 
rule of course will not apply to ladies' bonnets; but in 
the matter of furnishing a farm-house is better than the 
constant worry about things getting out of style. 

We think for the sitting-room lace is prettier than 
"cheese-cloth" or cotton flannel. It gives a sweet, airy 
look to the room. Do not hang your curtains flat against 
the window, but fasten to a cornice. If ^-ou cannot af- 



'■• I sometimes see farm-houses in which the walls are al- 
most hidden with a mass of cheap prints, costing little indi- 
vidUcUly, but enough collectively to pay for one or two really 
handsome pictures in good frames The overdone mass of 
cheap prints gives an idea of cheapness ; the one or two bet- 
ter pictures give an impression of taste and refinement. 

R. s. T. 

16 - 



242 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

ford to buy this, make one; make a shelf six inches 
wide, round the outside corners, and fasten substantially 
to the top of the casing; tack the curtain to this. Puff 
lace with cambric (the color to match other fancy arti- 
cles in the room) and sew on pasteboard the proper 
length, six inches wide. Tack the lower edge of this to 
the curtain and shelf Behind this, on the shelf, you 
may set a dish of tradescantia filled with water, and its 
glossy leaves drooping down over the lace, is very pretty; 
or a long piece of Madeira vine may be broken off, the 
end inserted in a bottle of water, which may be hung un- 
der the edge of the curtain, and the vine carried up and 
across the top, and trail down the other side, thus arch- 
ing the window. Both these plants will keep bright and 
beautiful as long as you keep up the supply of water — 
will throw out new roots and grow, not seeming to miss 
the parent roots,* 

Set apart one room for a library — the one at the end 
of the wing, usually occupied as a bed-room in this style 
of house, is convenient. You may not be able to bestow 
much on its furnishing at first — a book-case, table, chairs, 
and supply of stationery will do for a beginning; but 
being set apart, it becomes a sort of altar to the educa- 
tional advancement of the family, and each member will 
love to bring to it offerings of books, curiosities, speci- 
mens of natural histor}^, geology, entomology, etc., and 
soon it will become a very treasure house, in which all 



* Among the furniture of the sitting-room, in every family 
where there is any taste for music, I should give the organ a 
prominent place. Nothing so binds together a family, or 
makes home so home-like, as music. When brothers', sis- 
ters, father and mother can gather around the organ and 
join their voices in t\ e " social joys of song," it forms a won- 
derful home tie, and awakens in every heart a love for 
home, K. s. T. 



COUNTRY HOMES. 243 

are equally interested, and through which a vast im- 
provement will come to the family. 

The library may have a bay-window, and being con- 
nected with the sitting-room by double doors, can be 
easily warmed, and thus fitted to serve the double pur- 
pose of librarj^ and conservatory on a small scale; and 
this, too, would realize, in many cases, the wife's dream 
of years — a place to keep her plants where she could en- 
joy their fragrance and bloom while winter holds revel 
without. (Too often the wife's wishes in these little mat- 
ters are considered unimportant, and she is doomed to 
await her entrance into the " home not made with hands" 
to realize her visions of beauty.)* 

As we have no hall, here must be a niche somewhere, 
either in library or sitting-room, for a hat-rack. 

THE PARLOR 

We deem of secodary importance compared with the 
sitting-room ; secondary, because a family can get along 
very nicely without a parlor, while they cannot without 
a sitting-room. In parlor furnishings there is a greater 
demand for money and less for ingenuit}' than elsewhere, 
as home-made articles here seem rather out of place. 

The different pieces of furniture must not war with 
each other in point of costliness; an expensive table with 
poor chairs is in bad taste, and other things being good, 
a shabby carpet may spoil the effect of all. A " parlor- 
set" is necessary. Variety is pleasing in some places, 
but indulged too far in the parlor suggests auction sales. 

Let the books and pictures be well chosen, and good 
as the finances ef the family will warrant. Do not look 
so much to show in these articles as to intrinsic value. 
No matter how costly the frame, a daub will only violate 

* There is no place where flowers do so well as in a room 
adjoining one in which a constant fire is kept. K. s. T. 



244 SUCCKSS IN FARMING. 

the cultivated taste that could enjoy an exquisite piece 
without any frame. Harmon}-, and a quiet, unobtrusive 
€legance is more satisfying to the refined mind than glare 
and ostentation. 

THE DINING-ROOM, 

if a separate apartment, needs little more than an ex- 
tension table and chairs, with convenient connections 
with china closet, pantry and kitchen. If the dining- 
room must be in connection with either sitting-room or 
kitchen, and the latter is large, let it be there, in the 
winter at least; and doubtless the parties most inter- 
ested, the farmer's wives, would sa}^ let it remain there 
still through the summer, and let the cook-stove be 
moved to a summer kitchen. This is a mooted question, 
and one on which farmers and their wives more gener 
ally differ than any other. 

The theory that supply follows demand — for instance, 
man s needs demanded a thumb, and therefore a thumb 
grew — may be true in some things, but the masculine 
patience has never yet seemed to reach the demand for 
moving stoves, and the A-ery terror that over-shadows 
him wlien he receives notice that such a task is before 
him does not indicate very rapid development in that 
direction. 

We see no way out of the dilemma except that a 
dining-room be made a permanent fixture in the house 
in addition to the sitting-room, else the proprietor will 
probaljly be required to go on moving the stove out 
every summer, until he completes his allotted three score 
years and ten. 

The converting of a sitting-room three times a day 
into a dining-room, and as many tiihcs back to its origi- 
nal state, implies a great deal of useless work, and labor- 
saving in the house-work on a farm is important. But 



COrXTKY IIOMKS 245 

■while we would most earnestly advocate doing a way with 
\innecessary work, do not suppose we think it of little 
consequence where and how farmers are fed. The good 
•or ill breeding of a family is more plainly marked at meal- 
time than any other hour of the day, and we would by 
310 means under-value the influence of pains taking in 
the dining-room. We would have the table laid with 
■care — with clean linen, shining dishes and cutlery — have 
the food skillfully cooked and served in different dishes, 
5ind the different likes of the family properl}' regarded 
that all might relish their meal. The room clean and 
sweet and free from flies. There is no reason why a 
farmer's dinner table should not indicate refinement and 
■culture in his family; certainly there is nothing in the 
vocation that necessarily makes those following it coarse 
and rude * 

It is the improper management of some farms and 
farm households that disgust so many persons with the 
l)usiness. The uncouth manners, disregard of personal 
iippearence and inattention to intellectual improvements 
sometimes found among farmers, is accepted as natural 
•conditions of and inseparably connected with farm life, 

"Those dirty farmers'" that are such a terror to some 
are no dread to the systematic house-keeper When the 
great dinner bell "calls them from labor to refresh 
Tiient," she knows that they will enter the back porch 
(or a room done oft' in the wood-house for the purpose,) 
■where plenty of soft water, wash-basins, soap, towels, 
■combs, brush and looking glass, are all conveniently ar- 



*A separate dining-room is an excellent thing when made 
<;onit"ortiible, but on a chilly day I would rather eat in the 
kitchen in comfort, than be invited out to a stately dining- 
room without fire, and shiver over your meal with the impres- 
sion that your host keeps the room cold for fear her guests 
■should linger too long at the table and eat too much. r. s. t. 



246 SUCCESS IX FARMING. 

ranged. A long case — not necessarily ornamental — 
holding slippers for eacli, and dressing-gowns or clean 
linen ulsters hanging above. Everything necessary for 
making them tidy is ready for their use, and instead of 
its being considered a trouble, a man very soon regards 
it as a luxury to putofThis soiled boots and rest his feet 
in fresh stockings and slippers, and out of respect for 
wife and daughters he gladly dons a garment that will 
make him presentable at table, and feels more self-re- 
spect for having done so. His example is "a law unto 
his household," and his men follow it as a matter of 
course 

THE KITCHEN AND PANTRY 

of the farm-house constitute a very important depart- 
ment. By too many the kitchen is considered unim- 
portant. An}' kind of a room with any kind of furnish- 
ing will do for the kitchen. But the kitchen is the 
grand laboratory of tlie whole domestic economy of the 
farm. A man's successful farming depends more on the 
management of his kitchen than on the acreage of his 
wheat. Lack of system here is felt in every department 
of the farm work. If half an hour is lost in the morn- 
ing on account of inconvenient location of pantr}', cel- 
lar-way and wood-shed, (or worse, poor wood,) and want 
of proper utensils for cooking, and there are four men^ 
that lost time is equivalent to two hours for one man. 
For one year this makes a sum of sixtv-two and a half 
days. Allowing $1.25 per day for board and wages, 
which is a low average for the year, we have an amount 
that would go fur in supplying conveniences for the 
kitchen; then multiply this by the years that this waste 
goes on and all will be convinced that it is better to be- 
gin right. Not the least thing to be considered in this 
useless waste, is the j'outh, strength and health ofthe wife. 



COUNTRY HOMES. 



247 



It is bad economy to do without anything that will 
expedite or make easier the labors of this department. 
Be satisfied with nothing but a good stove or range with 
reservoir, and all the modern contrivances for cooking. 
A good washing-machine, wringer, nickle-plated smooth- 
ing-irons and fluter are necessary for the laundry. 
Have the wood-box so arranged that it can be filled 
from the wood-shed, which should always be supplied 
with good wood.* Let the well and cistern be conven- 
iently near, and on a level with the floor if practicable. 
The pantry should be large enough to accomodate a 
cooking table supplied with drawers for spices, rolling- 
pin, pie-tins, etc. Near this should be kept the flour 
and sugar boxes, that the baking may be all prepared 
here, away from the stove and with as few steps as pos- 
sible. 

Let convenience be the ruling thought in all the ar- 
rangements of the culinary department, and 

LET rUUITY BE TEE LAW. 

No amount of show and pretence in the front part oi 
the house can conceal bad house-keeping here. Moukly 
cupboards will send their little messengers on the air 
to whisper the secret to visitors the moment they enter 
the house. Sour or decaying vegetables may be out of 
sight, but their presence is none the less certain when 
their offensive smells are floating through every room. 

The habit of boiling cabbage and turnips an:l pork, 
and frying onions and burning the roast and a multi- 
tude of other scent-distributing practices of the earless 

"This latter is a very convenient arrangement and saves both 
labor and dirt. The wood-shod must, of course, adjoin the 
kitchen; a hole is cut through the wall, and the wood-box 
built in with a portion extending into the wood-shed. A tight 
lid over the part in the wood-shed prevents cold air from draw- 
ing through. K. s. T. 



248 SUCCESS IX FAKMIXO. 

house-keeper, with the doors leading- to the other rooms 
Jill open, is perfectly incomptitible with pure air in the 
house. These scents gather strength by age, and on 
entering sorae dwellings you are met by a combination 
of all in one disgusting odor. While the lady meets 
you with a self-satisfied air perfectly surprising to you. 
You wonder she is not throwing open the windows and 
scattering disuifectants. She has, in fact, become so 
inured tol)reathing this vitiated atmosphere that she is 
wluilly unconscious of anything wrong. She does not 
know that her curtains, her carpets — aye, the very walls 
about her, and her own clothing, are all saturated with 
and giving of this compound ettluviuni. 

Always have the cook-room well ventilated and the 
doors closed between that and the rest of the house.* 

"While we are treating of this disagreeable subject of 
imjjleasant odors, another presents itself more inexcusa- 
ble, more utterly loathsome and intolerable, than all 
other: — Personal uncleanliness. 

Some say cleanliness is next to godliness. We think 
godliness would have a better chance to work on the 
heart of a clean man that a filthy- one; therefore, we say 
to the philanthropist — ])uy soaj), and build i)lenty of 
"bath-houses, and your work for the sins of men will be 
blessed with a more abundant harvest. 

The praotice of wearing the same underclothing, night 



*The ori;an of smell was given to us partly that we might en- 
joy the fi'agnincc of flowers, but largely as a i)roteetion. A 
bad smell is always the sign of impurity, and impurity is the 
advance guard of disease and death. TIil^ only proper smell 
al)out home or i)ersoii is no smell at all, and we should keep 
onr noses trained by pure associations so that they will be ever 
ready to give Avarning of the impure. Pure air and plenty of 
it and sunlight and cleanliness are the best disinfectants. If 
after a day sj)ent in the pure air (jf the fields on entering the 
house you notice a stale odor hanging to the rooms, be sure 
there is something unclean thei'c. k. s. t. 



COUNTRY HOMES. 249 

and day, for two weeks, without giving the bodj- a single 
ablution in the time, must result in — to use the mildest 
term — concentrated impurity. The body continually 
throwing off through the pores the offensive exhalations 
of the sj'stem, at the rate of a pound a day, is loading 
the clothing with these fetid odors; and if the^^ are 
given no chance to escape, by change at night, the ac- 
c'umulation must be absorbed, exhaled and reabsorbed 
xintil clothing and person become mutual contaminators, 
and both an offence in the nostrils of good society. 

The farm home should be the best home; therefore, 
let every country home be provided with a bath-room, 
and eveiy child be taught, from baby-hood, that com- 
mon decency demands personal cleanliness. 

THE SLEEPING ROOMS 

though last mentioned, are not less important m their 
offices and arrangement than those preceding them. As 
the arrangement of one will apply to all in the main, we 
will speak more particularly of the guest chamber. If 
€conom3' must be exercised in the furnishing, a small 
amount of money can be made to go farther in appear- 
ances here, than anywhere else in the home. So many 
2)retty things are quite inexpensive, and so many con- 
veniences can be made that cost little more than one's 
time, that bed-rooms need never be destitute of orna- 
mental toilet articles and foamy draperies of lace or 
mull, which are alwaj's lovely in their purit}' if they a7-e 
-cheap. 

If there is abundant means, of course elegant bed- 
room sets will take the place of the common articles, and 
•curtains and lambrequins will supplant the cheap 
<lraperies; but in either case the most essential thing in 
furnishing a guest chamber is to provide for every i^os- 
^•i6Ze /jee^Z of your guest. 



250 SUCCESS IN 1 AKMING. 

Mrs. M. C. Holbridge, of La Salle County, lUiuois, iu 
anessaj' on the "Duties of Hostess on a Farm," says: 

No matter how poor or how barren of hixury a home maybe^ 
a woman of taste and energy will manage to provide the neces- 
sities of a bed chamber. 8he will make a toilet table of a dry 
goods box and an old sheet. 8he will sell rags and buy a till 
wash-basin and an old pitcher to go with it. .She will take in 
washing or make shirts to get means to provide a twenty cent 
looking-glass, a comb, brush, soap and towels. 

Often a guest is conducted to a room with the single 
provision for comfort — a bed — softened, however, by the 
soothing assurance that when they get able they are 
going to furnish the room nicely. Feeling that the dust 
and cinders and general moil of travel are clinging ta 
her garments and person, she must violate her innate 
sense of propriety by retiring unwashed; and in the 
morninff, with every nerve tin^lino; at the outraofe, she 
must don her " other dress," with its soft delicate laces 
to be soiled by the process, and go down to finish her 
toilet as best she can at the back door, in presence of 
the family, taking turns with them in washing, comb- 
ing, etc. We speak plainly of this matter not that we 
love the careless ones less but that we love their rank as 
"country people" more, and labor in all kindness to do 
them good.* 

ART IN HOUSE-KEEPING, 

There is no department of labor where there is a 
wider range for the display of artistic taste than in 
housekeeping. Some regard house-keeping as but a 



*Mrs. Aldrich speaks of the guest chamber, })ut if the boys 
and girls of country houses are to be brought up so as to ap- 
preciate the comforts of refined living, the same conveniences 
should l)e in their rooms. It is a mistake made by some- 
to imagine that home folks can get along any way. If you 
want the " home folks " when grown up to feel at ease in the* 
houses of otliers you need to accustom them to such living at 
home. K. s. t. 



COUNTRY HOMES. 251 

monotonous and continuous round of drudgery^ Such 
never compreiiend the great possibilities of enjoyment 
in home life. Their hearts never feel the thrill of rap- 
ture that comes from giving pleasure to others. If the 
linen for the ftimily is weekly prepared, the necessary 
amount of cooking done to gratify the demands of 
nature, the regular scrubbing performed in a vigorous 
manner, and all the other hard work that can be con- 
jured up finished, they think that this is all there is of 
life. If only we could rub the scales off' such peoples 
eyes, and get them to realize that God gives us all the 
bright and beautiful things of creation with the blessed 
privilege of combining them to make our own paradise! 

If through all the worlds history each couple, as fast 
as they were paired, had been placed in a garden of 
Eden, the race would never have arrived at its present 
state of perfection in the arts and sciences. There 
would have been no incentive to develop the latent 
powers of mind, and woman could never have enjoyed 
her highest honor, that of making a home, for it is 
reall^' and truly a creation of hers. 

We enter some homes where we feel that an air of 
elegance prevades eveiything, and wonder how people of 
their means can afford such extravagance, and begin 
slj'ly to examine and analyze our surroundings; and 
very often we find that what at first sight impressed us 
as the beauties of fairy land, are but the ingenious com- 
binations and formations of an artistic taste aided by 
very limited means. And often we enter houses of the 
wealthy expecting to be blessed with the sight of rare 
beauty and costly adornings; but, instead, the nerves 
are kept in a constant quiver by the shocking glare and 
contrast of colors, and the entire inhai'mony of every ob- 
ject with its neighbor. 



252 SUCCESS IN FARMING. 

Ever}' thing in a house — the color of the wall paper, 
the curtains, the carpets, the arrangement of eveiy arti- 
-cle from the books on the table to the adjustment of the 
iurniture — conduce to please or discomfort the inmates. 
We do not always realize how much little things have 
to do with our happiness. 

A just conception of the "eternal fitness of things" 
gives a systematic whole that charms and pleases the 
beholder. This may be found in the homes of the poor 
iis well as those of the rich. It consists in the appro- 
priating and harmonizing of the materials which are 
strewn around every country home. 

What a blessing to the toiling millions that all the 
jbeaut}^ and happiness are not shut up in the parlors of 
the wealthy. 

The tired mother may say that she has not time to 
study the artistic arrangement of things in reference to 
shape, color etc. Let her set the little girls at the 
lighter parts of work and they will very soon learn what 
<:'olors look prettiest together, when once their minds are 
directed to the subject. Even a dish of fiuit on the 
table in the dining room ma}' be arranged to l)e "a thing 
■of beauty." A white fringed doily laid on a bright 
spread, and the fruit dish set on this heaped with shiny 
golden, red and green apples laid in with studied care 
in reference to color, combined with other fruits in their 
season, peaches, pears, and some luscious clusters of 
grapes, make as nice an ornament as a costly basket of 
wax fruits. But let the mind once turn to this matter 
iind harmony will seem to come intuitively. 

A small outlay in ivies adds a grace to windows and 
arched door-ways as nothing else can. The fragrance 
•of a heliotrope, a l)unch of sweet violets, or a box of 
mignonette, gives to a room an ambrosial atmosphere 



woman's avork ox the farm. 255 

and charms the senses with their sweet odors. All these 
and a thousand other little things are but atoms con- 
sidered apart, but it is their sion that makes up the 
delightfully' pleasant country- home. 



WOMAN'S WORK ON THE FARM. 

BY A LADY FRIEXD. 

There is scarcely any other occupation where the work 
of husband and wife run so nearly on the same line as in 
that of the farmer, and there should be that oneness of 
purpose that gives perfect harmony. Where such a 
state of feeling exists, each will be anxious to lighten 
the burdens of the other. 

As it is the province of the farmer to look after the de- 
tails of his farm, so should his " help-meet" look well to 
the ways of her household, eating not the bread of idle- 
ness. He cultivates the ground, and from its abundant 
fullness she is provided with the fine wheat and corn, 
his flocks ard herds supply the meat, his well fed cow^^s 
the milk, his garden and orchard the vegetaldes and 
fruits. It is hers to make such use of these luxuries 
that her table shall be furnished with well cooked food, 
and the surplus so carefully looked after tliat nothin^y 
shall be lost or wasted. It is quite an art to gather up 
the remnants and present them in new form. B}- rem- 
nants we do not of course mean the bits left upon the 
plates. The bones from a roast, cracked and boiled, will» 
with the addition of vegetables and flavoring, make a de- 
licious soup. The meat that can be trimmed off" after it 
it has done duty as a roast, maj' be hashed and heated 
up, with gravy poured over toast, and you have a nice 
breakfast dish. Remnants of veal or chicken used in 



251 SUCCESS IX FAUMING. 

croquetts or salads are frequently more relished than 
when first prepared for the table. Every housekeeper 
should study how she can use to the best advantage all 
the odds and ends, both of provisions and clothing. 
The waste in some families would make a handsome liv- 
ing for others. ' 

As woman's domain is the home, her highest aim 
should be to make it a home in the best sense of the 
word, the place above all others that husband and chil- 
di'en will love and cherish. She may not have the" skill 
or the means to make it a bower of beauty, but by mak- 
ing the best use of means at her command, she can make 
it an abode of comfort. Her supervision should be from 
garret to cellar; order and cleanliness should reign 
throughout. She must see that each bed is provided 
with comfortable clothing, and that all the rooms are 
daily thrown open for the admission of heaven's free air 
and sweet sunshine. The clothing of the family is an im- 
portant consideration. Suitable changes for the seasons 
must be provided, and they must be ready when needed. 
The diet of the family should be most carefully studied. 
A pleasing variety arranged for from day to daj^ and 
such articles selected as are wholesome and best suited 
to their varied needs. There is no one article so essen- 
tial to the comfort of a family as good bread, and no 
housekeeper should be satisfied until she has attained 
the art of making it. The ability to make good butter 
is another accomplishment that every farmer's wife 
should possess, and in these days when so much is writ- 
ten on the subject, and there are so many opportunities 
for learning how it is done, there can be no excuse for 
ignorance in this branch of woman's work. 

Perhaps there might come up the much discussed 
question, Is it woman's work to milk? In general I 



woman's avork ox the farm. 255 

"would say no. Her sphere is the house, and here she 
<;an find employment for all her time. 

While woman should study" in every way to lighten 
her burdens, she should try to do everything well. 
*'Work well done is twice done" is a maxim the truth 
of which is often verified in our own experience. A sys- 
tematic arrangement of work, giving the most important 
<luties the first place on the list, is a great help; and 
there is perhaps no better way to make our burdens easy 
to bear that to cultivate a spirit of cheerfulness. The 
moral influence of such a spirit in the household is of 
priceless value, and if it entered into our every day 
duties how much that we now count monotonous drud- 
gery might become a source of positive pleasure. 

In these days it is possible in most of our farming 
communities to hire help, and it is mistaken economy 
for the wife to overtax her strength b}^ trying to do 
everj'thing herself If means are wanting to pay the 
added expense of a house-servant, let her try her inge- 
nuity b}'" devising some wa}^ of increasing the income. 
The husband might add one or two cows to his herd, 
the wife enlarge her flock of poultry and give it better 
care, or cultivate some of the small fruits and sell in the 
neighboring markets. In this way she may take recrea- 
tion in the open air and add to her health and good 
spirits as well as to the contents of her purse. 

Perhaps the most important part of woman's work is 
training the children. In infancy they are her especial 
charge; as they develop into restless childhood they 
must be carefullj'" watched, that evil does not creep in. 
Employment must be given, and that of a useful kind 
is usually the most entertaining. A spirit of helpful- 
ness should be early encouraged. For the present it 
will doubtless seem easier for the mother to perform the 



256 



SUCCBSS IK FARMING. 



prescribed tasks, but in this slie is educating her child, 
and the benefit to her will come perhaps after many 
days. No matter how many servants are kept, she 
should regard it as a religious duty to teach her daugh- 
ters habits of industry and economy, and to train them 
in all that pertains to good housewifery. The sons, too, 
should be taught habits of order and a due consideration 
for the comforts of others. In this way they will be 
fitted for making pleasant homes of their own and saved 
from the trials and disappointments that will come to 
those who have not been thus fortunate in their train- 
ing 

From the mother naturally comes the moral and re- 
fining influences, and her own words and conduct should 
be so carefully guarded that the children shall learn 
from her example lessons of purity that shall enoble 
their characters, refine their manners, and fit them for 
usefulness. "Then shall her children rise up and call 
her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." 



NUMBER OF PLANTS TO AN ACRE. 



2 byl .. 


.. 21,780 


5 by 3 ... 


. 2,904 


14 by 14 .... 


222 


2^byl .. 


.. 17,424 


5 by 4 ... 


. 2,178 


15 by 15 .... 


193 


2^ by 2 .. 


,. 8,712 


6 by 5 ... 


. 1,741 


16 by 16 .... 


170 


3 by2 .. 


.. 7,200 


6 b"yG ... 


. 1,220 


16.'>byl6^... 


160 


.S by 2^ .. 


.. 6,80'8 


6.1 hydh ... 


. 1,031 


n'byn .... 


150 


3 bVs .. 


.. 4,840 


7 by 7 ... 


888 


18 by 18 .... 


134 


4 byl .. 


.. 10,890 


8 by 8 .. 


680 


19 by 19 .... 


120 


4 by2 .. 


.. 5,445 


9 by 9 ... 


537 


20 by 20 .... 


108 


4 byS .. 


.. 3,630 


10 by 10 .. 


436 


25 by 25 .... 


60 


4 by4 . 


.. 2,722 


11 by 11 ... 


360 


30 by 30 .... 


48 


6 byl .. 


.. 8,712 


12 by 12 ... 


302 


33 by 33 .... 


40 


6 by 2 .. 


.. 4,.S56 


13 by 13 ... 


257 







FINIS. 



i 



